A seaside restaurant has issued an appeal to trace a group who “dined and dashed” after allegedly consuming more than £400 of food and drinks.
The party, which is said to have consisted of four women and children, reportedly left La Bellas Vista in St-Leonards-on-Sea after enjoying an array of appetisers, the Sunday special roast beef and a variety of pasta dishes before upping and leaving.
The East Sussex venue shared images on Facebook of the “despicable” diners in a bid to trace them – and warn other small businesses. The bill issued by the restaurant shows a total of £425.38 outstanding, reported Mirror Online.
It’s reported the staff managed to corner one of the women and secured the restaurant doors until the police arrived. Subsequently, it is reported she was escorted to a nearby cash machine, where she handed over “all she had”, which was £60, on Sunday afternoon.
Video footage seen by The Mirror, depicts the group lingering near the restaurant’s entrance after the police intervention. The group had allegedly “pretended” to find something in their meals and complained to staff, to request a cut on their bill.
Aldo Esposito, one of the owners, told the publication: “It was a very traumatic situation for us. There were four ladies and eight children, and they had enjoyed their food until they pretended they had found something in the food. This was about halfway through the meal but they carried on eating.”
Mr Esposito said he had “never seen anything like it” claiming the adults “weren’t watching the kids”, who were causing “havoc, screaming and shouting.” The businessman added he had to tell a child to stop when he caught him playing with an ice bucket.
“These aren’t toys, they are very expensive actually,” he added. “So I had to ask him to stop.” He also claimed another child didn’t like their apple juice and proceeded to tip it all over the floor.
La Bella Vista’s owners say they have encountered two other groups of “dash and dine” guests in the past couple of months. The owner suspects one group is related to the women on Sunday, and they too used a “professional complaint” technique by “feigning” an allergic reaction.
No allergy was declared when the group arrived, she added.
Warning other business owners in St Leonards-on-Sea, the restaurant posted pictures of the women on its Facebook page. The post reads: “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.”
Police assisted when three women left but staff kept the fourth woman inside the restaurant until officers arrived. Sussex Police said the force continues to investigate the incident, in which it said a member of staff was believed to have been assaulted at the restaurant.
A spokesperson for Sussex Police said: “We can confirm we are investigating a report of a group of people making off without payment from a restaurant in St Leonards. The group are alleged to have left La Bella Vista in Grand Parade around 5pm on Sunday 7 January without paying for their meal.
“A member of staff also reported being assaulted. Officers have attended the premises and engaged with staff and enquiries are ongoing. Anyone with any information about the incident is asked to report it online or call 101, quoting serial 748 of 07/01.”
