Moment ‘dine and sprint’ ladies go away £300 invoice after downing pictures
Shameless customers were caught on camera making a quick getaway from a restaurant after racking up a £300 bill.
The women are seen on CCTV footage laughing and chatting over bowls of pasta and glasses full of alcohol at La Bella Vista in St Leonards-on-Sea in East Sussex.
Suddenly they get up from their table and leave the restaurant without paying the bill.
But one young woman doesn’t quite make it through the door before turning back to collect her charger from beside the table.
Wearing a black puffer jacket with a white form-fitting dress underneath, the woman looks longingly at her drink which is still on the table before deciding to take it with her – glass and all.
The trio are seen enjoying their pasta and alcoholic drinks at La Bella Vista in East Sussex
One woman, who is wearing a white dress and a black puffer jacket, looks at her phone before their quick getaway
The young women are seen fleeing the Italian restaurant without paying their hefty bill
Their hefty bill, which totalled £313.98, revealed that the women necked two sambuca shots, two Smirnoff shots, a Baileys and three medium white wines before fleeing the Italian restaurant without paying.
Sadly this is not the first time that the family-owned joint has been targeted by ‘dine and dash’ customers.
The frustrated owner told ITV News Meridian that he has lost out on £1,000 since October last year due to people leaving without paying their bills.
Owner Aldo Esposito said: ‘I feel disappointed and frustrated with the situation because we put a lot of love and effort into the business and dealing with situations like this is very disheartening.
‘At the moment, running a business, a family business like this, it’s quite difficult due to the financial situations.
‘So when people come here and take advantage it’s, you know, it’s hard to take.’
In January this year staff at Bella Vista called the police on four mothers and their eight children who left behind an eye-watering £541 bill.
According to the Mirror, three of the four women escaped the scene but the fourth was detained by restaurant staff.
The pair follow after the woman who has already left the restaurant – but not before one looks longingly back at her drink
The customer returns for her charger as well as the drink she left on the table
Taking a sip, she casually walks out of the restaurant with the glass in hand and leaving behind a bill totalling more than £300
She was then promptly ‘frogmarched to the ATM’ – although she only took out £60 to cover the bill as it was ‘all she had’.
A representative for La Bella Vista took to social media and said: ‘Warning to all small business owners!
‘This despicable group brazenly walked into La Bella Vista this afternoon with their 8 children, ordered over £400 worth of food and drink and then refused to pay!
‘The police managed to recover £60 for us, a mere drop in the ocean!
‘This is the 3rd time we have been hit by groups like these in the last couple of months, so please be aware!’
Esposito, who owns the restaurant, has now installed 16 CCTV cameras to prevent any more ‘dine and dash’ incidents from taking place.
