CCTV footage captured a group dining and fleeing, leaving a family-run bar anxiously searching for a £270 payment.
The proprietor of The Sutton Arms in Faceby, North Yorkshire, Emma Lee, issued a public appeal imploring the table of six to do the right thing and pay for their pricey lunch.
The 38-year-old stated, ‘Since we live in a small community, you quickly recognize people who have visited previously. They’ve gone to the bar before, but they opted not to pay this time.’
The table was reserved under what is likely the family’s surname, but Ms. Lee has no other information regarding the group’s identity.
They ordered three lobsters and three fillet steaks in advance and spent more than £70 at the bar before leaving without paying.
Ms. Lee explained that she could have sold the lobsters to other customers, but she refrained for the sake of the Finney family, who had contacted in advance.
She told The Sun, “We generally buy five lobsters, which is ten servings, but they sell out very quickly.” Instead of raising the costs of our steaks, lobsters, and other items, we have attempted to keep them low and have taken a bit of a hit ourselves. When something like this occurs, it is a nightmare.
The mother of five stated that dine-and-dash would be detrimental to the family-owned bar.
She stated, “Everything is quite pricey.”
Instead of raising the costs of our steaks, lobsters, and other items, we have attempted to keep them low and have taken a bit of a hit ourselves. When something like this occurs, it is a nightmare.
The family’s CCTV footage shows a woman in pink sportswear pacing in front of the bar as she waits for a man to join her.
The couple then vanishes together as another young man and woman hastily exit the premises.
Ms. Lee stated that her team was unconcerned at the time since one of the women reportedly feigned to get a phone call.
She is now pushing the customers to send the money through her mailbox in order to rectify their error.
She stated that if no attempt is made to remedy the situation by Monday, she will be forced to “take the matter further.”
“We are a tiny family-run bar doing our best to provide hospitality in these difficult times. Mistakes happen, so hopefully this will be resolved before we have to go further,” she said.
The majority of clients are good, thus it is unfortunate that certain incidents occur.