A Scottish restaurant, La Dolce Vita in East Kilbride, has released footage of a couple who “dined and dashed,” evading an 80-pound bill. On October 20, the pair indulged in a lavish three-course meal, ordering two starters, three mains, and two desserts. However, instead of settling the tab, they cunningly exited the premises, pretending to step out for a cigarette. The surveillance footage reveals the man and woman smoking outside before leaving separately. In an attempt to deceive staff, the woman left her handbag behind, suggesting she would return. However, upon investigation, the bag was found to be empty, exposing the couple’s deceitful plan.
The restaurant is now seeking to identify the couple and recover the stolen amount.
Here’s the video:
A restaurant spokesperson said they were “angry and annoyed” with the situation.
Co-owner Heather Scuotto, told the Daily Record: ”It’s just sickening, we’re absolutely furious. We’re a small family-run business, we’ve been open for 10 years and moved to this new restaurant five years ago. We understand that in the current climate, people might struggle to afford a meal out, but this was pre-planned. They walked out and left an empty handbag just lying there. The police think it’s all part of their con. To think they would come out to a restaurant with that in mind is just horrible.”
Police Scotland said: ”Around 5.45 pm on Sunday, October 20, police received a report of a theft from a premises in the Main Street area of East Kilbride. Enquiries into the circumstances are at an early stage”.
The La Dolce Vita incident is not an isolated case, as it follows a similar string of “dine and dash” offences earlier this year. In a notable case, Bernard McDonagh, 41, and Ann McDonagh, 39, a married couple from Sandfields, Port Talbot, Wales, were imprisoned after admitting to leaving restaurants without paying bills worth more than 1,000 pounds (Rs 1,05,857). According to BBC, Bernard and Ann McDonagh went to five restaurants in the Swansea, Neath, Port Talbot and Porthcawl areas of Wales and ran up bills worth more than 1,000 pounds before leaving without paying.
Judge Paul Thomas KC said they were motivated by “pure and utter greed” and that the dine and dash incidents were “carefully pre-planned to a specific pattern”. The use of their children, who would wait in the restaurants while they pretended to go to a cashpoint, was “ruthlessly exploitative,” the judge added.
