A restaurant owner has laid bare the horror of an emerging dash and dine culture, whereby customers eat piles of food before leaving without paying. The Pearl Dragon in Southend, Essex, was conned out of £127 after a couple feasted on prawns on toast, crispy duck and ribs.
They washed their meals down with fizzy drinks before quietly leaving the premises on February 18. Owner Steve Yeung, 52, released CCTV images on Facebook as a deterrent – but admitted this horrible trend was not new.
Speaking to the Mail, restaurant owner Steve Yeung, 52, claimed they weren’t the first venue to be targeted by the pair. He said that other businesses in the city had been the subject of their tactics and that they are now well known for not paying.
Mr Yeung explained that he had “no clue until it happened to me” and that maybe his restaurant “should have been pre-warned” they were doing it in the local area.
Following a series of complaints, the police have said they are now looking for the pair. Mr Yeung suggested that the reason this wasn’t done sooner was because “people don’t want to go to the police over one bill”.
However, now he has been a victim, Mr Yeung feels as if the pair have abused his trust and stolen from him and his restaurant.
To try and help warn others, Mr Yeung has posted CCTV screenshots of the pair, believed to be in their 30s, on Facebook as police continue their search. While the pair’s decision to dine and dash has sent waves of irritation through the local community, Mr Yeung said it has become more frequent.
He said that the phenomenon has gone up in recent years to the extent that it was so infrequent it wasn’t possible to remember when it had last happened.
Mr Yeung explained that it now happens as often as once every two months. On one occasion, a couple ate £180 worth of food before leaving.
A spokesperson for Essex Police said they were investigating the incident. They added: “We have received an allegation of theft that took place at a restaurant in Eastern Esplanade, Southend, on Sunday, February 18. It was reported a man and woman ordered food at the restaurant and left without paying.”
This is the latest dine and dash incident to hit Essex this week after another couple racked up a massive £145 bill at the Dukes Head pub in Hatfield Broad Oak before leaving. It’s understood the incidents have not been linked by police.
Owner of the pub, David Rainbird said he had been left “devastated”. Mr Rainbird told the Express that he discovered what had happened after going out for dinner for his mother’s birthday and before returning to the pub to find staff “really upset” about the incident.
They told him that throughout their visit they had gone out for repeated cigarette breaks before running away from the venue after ordering dessert.
Mr Rainbird, who has been in the pub trade for 25 years, told the Express: “I like to think the best of people but this is just disgraceful.
“It’s really tough to accept something like this happening, two years ago losing a huge amount like this would have ruined me.
“It’s been a really hard few years for the industry and we really don’t need things like this, I think we’re kind of the lucky ones as we’ve managed to build up a name for ourselves and got loads of praise for the restaurant.”
Mr Rainbird added that what made it more difficult was the fact that independent businesses like his pub couldn’t afford customers who left without paying and urged anyone with any information about the couple to get in touch with them at thedukesheadsussex@outlook.com.
