Dine and dash

[Isthisit2025]

Just reading about a popular tea room that had 3 groups of customers all leaving without paying their bill. This is becoming quite an occurrence.

I think establishments should take the money when they take your order. The only way to stop this disgraceful behaviour. I’d be more than happy to do this. The hospitality industry is suffering terribly especially small independent businesses.

What makes people think they can do this??

I quite like it when you pay up front. Like in Nando's or many cafes, you order and pay at the desk and they deliver to your table. That way, you can just leave when you like, no pfaffing with getting the bill etc. Not sure it would work in fancier establishments though.

I feel the same as Mathsmum, I hate it when you're ready to leave but have to wait for the bill. But I suppose the downside for staff is that they won't make anything on tips if you pay upfront.

It's appalling behaviour, and I'd love to hear from someone who has done this as to what their justification could possibly be.

Absolutely would support paying up front, especially in a small cafe or tea room.

We didn’t end up paying once about 15 years ago because the restaurant couldn’t get their card machines to work and we had no cash on us. We did end up just leaving tbh.

It's a cost benefit balance though. Not many people dine and dash, but if people pay upfront they are less likely to buy an extra drink or extra food course. It's weighing up how much business you lose from people not ordering more versus the very few non payers.

We did it by accident once. Had cake and drinks and just forgot we hadn't paid beforehand as a lot of places you do pay when you order. We went back the next day and paid though when we realised.

They could still have a tip jar but I expect the tradition of tipping in restaurants will soon phase out if people
have already paid via an app, however I do think it’s inevitable.

Never have. Don't think it’s that common, is it? Be interesting to see some stats I guess.

Did you try and access a cash machine elsewhere and return to pay?

I would have no issue with paying upfront. A restaurant I sometimes use, takes your order at the table and the server takes payment at the same time. It is a hugely popular venue.

As if they did.
I cannot stand people who do this. Just pay for your food/drinks!

Nope. There was no cash machine nearby and we had already waited ages while they tried to get their machines to work.

The chain has has plenty of my money before and since.

And the restaurant were completely happy with you just giving up on paying then?

There’s a place we go to sometimes where you choose a table, scan the QR code on the table then order and pay for your food online. No good for people without smart phones I suppose but they do also have a counter where you can order in person. All very efficient

I also prefer to pay upfront. Saves waiting ages for the bill. Also means you pay for yourself not having to spilt the bill etc.

Did you not go back and pay or do a bank transfer?

You could have gone back the next day or phoned the payment in.

From all the accounts of ones I have seen it tends to be the same demographic unfortunately.

I hate the term dine and dash. It makes it sounds like some jokey acceptable thing to do. People who do this are thieving bastards 😡

I agree, I really like paying upfront. I have never intentionally dined and dashed, but I once walked out from a bar without paying while drunk. (I returned the next day, very shamefaced, when I realised my mistake. They were lovely about it but I was just so mortified)

My hairdresser has had this several times with certain clients. Expensive colour jobs costing ££££ and the girls have a guy in a car sitting outside. They just left and sped off...

Well they made no effort to stop us leaving if that’s what you mean.

It’s quite a common thing for any kind of business to end up giving customer something for free/ a discount when there is a system or service failure of any kind. Not like i have ever deliberately not paid for anything for no reason.

I don't think that it is fair to expect that, actually. If the restaurant couldn't make it work, then they forfeit the bill. So many places are now card only that there should be no expectation that a customer carries cash unless it is very clearly stated upfront. If I was on my way somewhere, travelling, and was caught out that way no way am I driving around to find a cashpoint because of a cafe's faulty system.

I think a lot of hairdressers ask for payment upfront now because of this.

Why should they? It was the restaurants error and I'm now seeing it was a chain, which makes it even less acceptable that their system was faulty.

I was absolutely not going out of my way to return there (considering i didn’t leave massively close by or have a car at the time). 3 of us waited there a while making the initial effort to pay.