Diners leg it from pub after racking up £300 invoice – however their plan backfires
Six sneaky diners who bolted from a restaurant to avoid paying a hefty £300 bill found themselves in hot water.
Police officers tracked them down and made sure they settled their debt on the same night. The cheeky group had the nerve to refuse payment for their grub and drinks at the Black Bull in Moffat, Dumfriesshire, Scotland, moaning that they didn’t enjoy their outing.
But police tracked them down out at their hotel and gave them a midnight escort back to the restaurant to pay what they owed, according to the Daily Record.
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Boss of the restaurant, Janie Seaton, 52, said: “The six had told us they had been unhappy with the mains so I took them off the bill. One of the group then came up to the bar and said they were not going to pay the remaining £300.”
She claimed they said their experience wasn’t “amazing enough” to open their wallets adding: “Their attitude was unsettling and extremely misogynistic to me and my manager. I realised that I would have to call the police.
“At this point they legged it from the premises. A seventh member of the group did pay before leaving,” Janie revealed.
Praising the police, Janie said: “They spoke with the six and explained the legal situation and told me they were now going to pay.”
The pub landlady revealed that such incidents are becoming increasingly frequent. She said: “Had they not paid I’d have taken it all the way through the civil courts. I felt I had to make a stand. A £300 non-payment would have been a big hit. I have had similar issues over the years.
“If people feel they can get away with ripping me off then other people try. The group of six seemed to believe that everything they consumed that evening was free.”
Janie took over the reins at the Black Bull in 2018 before it was shortlisted for the Sunday Mail Pub of the Year in 2020.
Reflecting on the incident, she said: “We scored a small win for establishments like mine and staff who deal with these incidents daily.
“We took a stance. We didn’t back down and we never will.
“It was not just about the money, it was also about the principle.”
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