Restaurant homeowners outrage over ‘dine and sprint’ couple

A couple who ran off without paying for their lunch at a popular Cornwall restaurant have been accused of being involved in ‘the worst crime ever’. 

Jamie McLean, who owns the Mackerel Sky Seafood Bar and Shack in Newlyn, Cornwall said the couple sat down to enjoy their meal on August 19. 

After running up a bill of £62, the couple are shown on the restaurant’s CCTV system leaving their table without paying for their meal. 

Mr McLean said the couple had left behind their phone number having rang the restaurant earlier to ask whether there were any spare tables. 

He described their actions as ‘the worst crime ever’.  

A restaurant owner in Newlyn, Cornwall said this woman and her male friend left the Mackerel Sky restaurant without settling their £62 bill

The woman and her male companion ate at the popular restaurant on Monday evening before running off without paying for their meal

The well-regarded restaurant does not takes reservations but instead offers seats on a first come first served basis. 

The couple were sitting under a CCTV camera which also recorded audio of the incident.

The female suspect was wearing a pink hooded top, blue jeans and white training shoes. 

Her male companion had a dark hooded top, dark blue jeans and a black shoes with white soles. 

The woman was carrying a large white handbag. 

Mr McLean posted CCTV images of the couple on his restaurant’s Facebook page where the appeal has been shared more than 2,500 times. 

The couple later complained after Mr McLean uploaded their images onto the internet. They allegedly told him they did not enjoy his food, despite the footage showing they cleaned their plates. 

He said: ‘They were really shifty. They’ve left their phone number because they had phoned up previously to see how busy it was. They were just taking the absolute p*** basically.

‘It was a complete bungle and when they finally picked up the phone I said “either come back and pay your bill or get run out of Cornwall”.’

This latest so-called ‘dine and dash’ is the latest in a string of similar incidents across the country. 

Last week a restaurant in Bournemouth, Dorset complained after a couple ran up a bill of £120, including six espresso martinis before running off. 

A group of women were filmed in July running off from La Bella Vista in St Leonards-on-Sea. 

Although, one publican wrongly accused some diners of being ‘dine and dash’ offenders. After finishing their meal, the two men and two women thought they had settled the bill – however, a bungling member of staff failed to run the card details through the till. 

Manager Sam Watson told MailOnline: ‘We want to sincerely apologise to the people involved because we have now learnt that they did in fact pay for their meal.

‘One member of staff took the group’s order and a second member of staff took payment, however he did not run the payment through the till system.

‘It meant that it looked as though they had left without paying when they had.

‘There was no dishonesty involved from our staff, it was an honest mistake but we have dismissed the member of staff responsible for the error.’

Devon and Cornwall Constabulary told MailOnline: ‘Police are aware of an incident where two individuals left the Mackerel Sky Seafood Bar in Newlyn without paying their bill on Monday 19 August. Enquiries into this matter are ongoing. Anyone with any information that may assist investigating officers is asked to call police on 101 or visit our website quoting 50240211030.’