A “laughing” dine-and-dash duo are accused of fleeing two restaurants in the Dundee area without paying the bill.
The Birkhill Inn on the outskirts of the city and Davie’s Ice Cream Parlour in Lochee say they have both been targeted by what is thought to be the same man and woman in recent days.
Bosses at the Birkhill Inn say the unnamed pair enjoyed a three-course meal and alcoholic beverages at the restaurant on Monday afternoon.
But after the duo raised the suspicions of staff, they ran off without paying a £105 bill.
Meanwhile, Davie’s posted on social media on Tuesday to report a similar incident involving the pair.
‘They were acting shifty from the moment they came in’
Cheryl Roberts, duty manager at the Birkhill Inn, told The Courier it was the second time the man and woman had not paid a bill at the restaurant.
She said: “They were actually known to us after an incident in November.
“Unfortunately, the staff that were on shift previously weren’t there initially on Monday.
“The pair were acting shifty from the moment they came in.
“They had three courses and also enjoyed drinks but were regularly going out for cigarette breaks.
“Near the end of the meal, some staff recognised the pair of them.
“You don’t want to judge people but when they both walked out again towards the car park we asked them to settle the bill.”
Cheryl says while incidents of this nature are “rare” at the Birkhill Inn, staff posted about the incident on social media to raise awareness.
She said: “We understand there can be issues from time to time with people’s cards not working.
“Generally speaking we are understanding and would accommodate customers.
“In this instance, there was no apology from either of them.
“They got aggressive after we asked them to pay.
Pair reported to police after dine-and-dash at Birkhill Inn
“The man said, ‘You can’t touch me’ as they were walking away, there was certainly no remorse.
“They ran off towards the Camperdown Park area.
“We’re a family business and we’d provided a service to these individuals so it is frustrating to be dealing with these types of issues.
“We posted on our social media page to warns others and we’ve also reported the matter to the police.”
Davie’s ice cream parlour says man ‘made horrible mess of bathroom’
The post by Davie’s Ice Cream Parlour said: “We are a small family business.
“Even a small theft hurts us badly.
“Here are two people who were impersonating another couple.
“The man made a horrible mess of the bathroom, refused to pay and laughed as they left.
“We have seen they have just done this to the Birkhill Inn too.
“Can all those that work in hospitality please be aware of their faces?
“They are repeat offenders. They will unquestionably do this at your work too.”
The Courier has chosen not to share the pair’s faces at this stage for legal reasons.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 4.25pm on Monday, we received a report that customers had not paid for a meal at a restaurant in Birkhill.
“Inquiries are ongoing.”
The incident at Davie’s, which took place on Thursday, 9 May, has not been reported to police.
The cafe declined to comment.
Last week, two people admitted leaving several restaurants in Wales without paying bills worth more than £1,000.
