A man who fled a restaurant because he thought his €19 (£16) bill was too expensive has been hit with a fine almost eight times the amount. The incident took place on August 22, 2025, on Teófilo Llorente Street in the Vello Vigués (Old Vigo) district of Galicia, Spain, where the unnamed man was frequenting a restaurant in Vigo with three friends.
They deemed the price too high and left the restaurant without paying. But the individual’s plan ultimately backfired, as the Provincial Court of Pontevedra upheld a conviction for fraud, and he’s been ordered to pay a €150 (£125) fine and legal costs. In March, Vigo Magistrates’ Court No. 5 slapped him with a fine of €5 (£4.20) each day for one month. Judicial records reveal that even by the time of the trial, the defendant had yet to pay anything towards the cost of the drinks.
He lodged an appeal on the grounds that the deception involved had not been significant enough to warrant a fraud charge, as well as maintaining that the act hadn’t been for the sake of monetary gain.
The Fifth Section of the Provincial Court rejected the defendant’s claim, ruling that the man had indeed ordered and consumed the drinks before leaving the restaurant without paying.
It was decided that he hadn’t proved the amount was disproportionate and hadn’t offered money to the eatery. The judge noted that the man had acted “with a clear intent to make a financial gain”.
In related news, reports recently detailed another notable dine-and-dash incident in Spain. A British tourist racked up a €19,000 (£17,000) bill over six weeks at a hotel in Santa Ponça, Calvià, Spain, and defaulted.
Another incident involved four diners running up a bill of about £100 each before skipping on their bill. Spanish TV show Aruser@s host Alba Sánchez explained that it happened in 2021 at a restaurant in Cerceda.
“It happened in 2021 at a restaurant in Cerceda, A Coruña, where four diners showed up and didn’t hold back when ordering: octopus, ribeye steaks, Albariño wine, and shots, without a thought for the price.”
It came to €447 (about £385). Understandably, the owner sought legal action and five years later, justice caught up to the culprits. All four were convicted and received an eight-month prison sentence.
Restaurant-owner Maria told Alba: “The customers ordered four soft drinks and then proceeded to add various items to the order: bread, a platter of Iberian cured meats, five servings of octopus, two ribeye steaks, two bottles of Albariño wine, two portions of potatoes, and four shots.
“They didn’t deny anything. They didn’t even look at the prices. In fact, I went to the kitchen and told my husband, ‘We’ve just made our day with this table.'”
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