A couple who went out to dine allegedly left a bill of 120 pounds (12,000 approximately) behind when they left the restaurant on August 5 after sharing pictures of their meal on Facebook. The two are alleged to have indulged in six espresso martinis along with gourmet burgers, halloumi and sweet potato fries, and Biscoff cheesecake at the Lazy Fox in Dorset, United Kingdom. The couple, seen in a restaurant-released video, took an hour to eat their meal before leaving “for a cigarette,” but they never came back, as per a report in the Independent.
The restaurant claims they left quickly after the man posted images of the food and beverages on Facebook. Co-owner of Lazy Fox, Mauricio Spinola, stated that the incident took employees off guard and that if the money isn’t returned, it will be a strain for his already financially challenged company.
“It was probably about 10 minutes after they went outside we realised they had gone. I couldn’t just head out and look for him, I still had a bar to run,” she said.
Ms Spinola continued, “It’s a big hit for a small business like ours, we just can’t afford to lose over 100 pounds in the current climate. We can’t ask people to give us their phone or wallet when they go out for a cigarette. The vast majority of our customers are great and would think that is weird.”
Dorset Police said that on Monday, they got a report about customers who had left the restaurant “without paying for their meal.”
A waitress at the Lazy Fox described the duo and said that the blonde woman wore red lipstick and a white top under a white dress. She was a little drunk, and they were both a little energetic. “We were keeping a close eye on them especially when it came to serving them drinks. After they finished she said she wanted a dessert and ordered the cheesecake. The woman then stepped outside for a cigarette and the man followed her out and they never came back. We were rather busy at the time but we trusted that they weren’t going to do that,” she said.
Co-owner Enoely Fernandez also bashed the couple, calling them “silly” for boasting about their lunch on Facebook following the incident. Since the owners uploaded the embarrassing post on social media, several other restaurants have come forward, claiming they were previously fooled by the couple.
“The hard thing is the guy didn’t look suspicious. He wasn’t drunk. He wasn’t shouting. He wasn’t disruptive. He asked to go out for a cigarette and of course we said that was fine. It was difficult for our bar staff as we just had to reassure them that they had done nothing wrong. It’s just really annoying for everyone,” Ms Fernandez said.
