Group of diners marched back to restaurant to pay £300 bill by police after attempted 'dine-and-dash'

18 March 2024, 16:20 | Updated: 18 March 2024, 16:39

By Jasmine Moody

A group of 'dine-and-dashers' had their plans foiled by police after they were marched back to the restaurant where they 'refused to pay for their food and drinks'.

The group had feasted at the Black Bull Inn, Moffat, Dumfriesshire, in southern Scotland before allegedly trying to leave without paying.

However, the group of six were swiftly walked back to the pub by police to pay.

They claimed that they did not enjoy their meal and had even complained about their table.

Restaurant owner Janie Seaton said the party's attitude was "disturbing" and "misogynistic".

Staff had already removed their mains from their bill after complaining before a stand-off broke out when they refused to pay the remaining £300.

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Mrs Seaton said: "The six had told us they had been unhappy with the mains so I took them off the bill."

After insisting the group has to pay before leaving, they became hostile towards her and her manager.

"Their attitude was disturbing 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," Mrs Seaton told Edinburgh Live.

Mrs Seaton has since praised the police for their "amazing work" in handling the situation.

"They spoke with the six and explained the legal situation and told me they were now going to pay. The officers brought them in one by one, standing on either side of them.

"They stayed until the payment was made to make sure there was no more trouble."

Mrs Seaton, who has owned the bistro-style restaurant since 2018, said such incidents were sadly not "unusual".

"If they hadn't paid, I'd have taken it all the way through the civil courts," she added, as a £300 non-payment would have been a big hit to the business.

"I've had similar problems over the years. If people think they can rip me off, then others will try.

"The group just decided that everything they had that night was free."

She said that the incident was a "small win" for the business, which in 2020 was nominated for a national award.

"We took a stand. We didn't back down and we never will. It wasn't just about the money, it was also about the principle."

Leon Thompson, executive director of UK Hospitality Scotland, said: "Any customers walking out of restaurants without paying is simply unacceptable.

"We would encourage any operators who experience walkouts to report it to the police."

Restaurant runners are very frequent - the most recent figures from the Home Office for dine and dash incidents show 12,610 incidents took place in 2018