Moment couple ‘fled restaurant without paying’ after enjoying romantic meal as CCTV shows pair make a dash for taxi
14 February 2024, 11:31
Restaurant release CCTV of couple who allegedly fled without paying bill in Middlesbrough
This is the moment a couple fled a Thai restaurant allegedly without paying after enjoying a romantic meal.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Restaurant bosses at The Copperstone in Linthorpe pleaded with a couple to return and settle their unpaid bill from over the weekend.
The Thai restaurant shared footage of the pair after they allegedly failed to pay on Friday last week, writing on Facebook: “We need some help, can everyone please share this post?
“These two lovely people came in for what looked like a nice romantic meal last tonight at The Copperstone in Middlesbrough. They ordered food and drinks as normal and obviously wanted to get home - only they forgot to pay us!”
Two clips shared from the evening show the moment the couple arrived at the restaurant before enjoying their romantic meal.
A second clip captured on CCTV from outside the restaurant shows the pair exiting the restaurant, with the woman sprinting towards a taxi quickly followed by the man who then breaks into a run to catch the cab.
The restaurant has since tried to contact the pair, who left their details for the booking, to resolve the matter but have failed to get a response.
The restaurant said: “We do have the booking name and telephone number but no one is answering.
“We will give them the opportunity to come in and pay and if they don't pay by tomorrow we will then pass this theft onto the relevant people.
“If you know them, please feel free to tag them and remind them. Hopefully they were late getting somewhere and they forgot to pay as we can see them running down the road and getting into a taxi. The building and the road is full of CCTV.”
The restaurant shared the clip on Saturday, giving the couple a day to return and pay, but has not posted an update since.
It’s not the first time the restaurant has been hit by dine and dashers either, as the restaurant owner told local reporters last year of how another couple had feasted on £100 worth of food and drink before allegedly doing a runner.
It comes after a string of similar incidents in restaurants in the UK over the last year.
Just last month a restaurant in east Sussex shared images of a group who enjoyed a £424 meal before allegedly dashing off without paying.
One of the women was then marched to a nearby cash machine where she withdrew £60, which she said was all the money she had.
La Bella Vista posted on their Facebook page: "Warning to all small business owners!
"This despicable group brazenly walked into La Bella Vista this afternoon with their 8 children, ordered over £400 worth of food and drink and then refused to pay!
"The police managed to recover £60 for us, a mere drop in the ocean!
"This is the 3rd time we have been hit by groups like these in the last couple of months, so please be aware!"
Sussex Police said they were investigating the incident at the time.
