Today's Liveline was filled with stories from those in the restaurant industry sharing their experiences with having to deal with what is known colloquially as the 'Dine and Dash'.
What’s a 'dine and dash'? Well, is defined as “a form of theft by fraud, in which a patron consumes food and beverages from a restaurant or similar establishment with intent of not paying.”
Avoiding payment, it seems, can come in a variety of guises, from disputing aspects of the bill, or arguing over the payment method, to the slightly less elegant, and more literal ‘dine and dash’. That is, just legging it out the door before the staff can lay a finger on you.
One particular caller, Rory, had a story to tell about a lock-in over an unpaid dinner bill. He explained to Liveline's Joe Duffy that a cheque just doesn't cut it when you plan to cover dinner and drinks for fifteen people.
'I can't take a cheque for this amount, it's not covered by your banker's card; it's not worth the paper it's written on… and he got thick'.
What happened next is extraordinary. Listen back here to find out what happened.