A Suffolk hotel owner has described a recent dine and dash incident as a "kick in the teeth" as he has opted to introduce upfront payments in a bid to avoid it happening again.
Paul Brodel, who owns Kings Hotel in Newmarket and has also penned several cookbooks and appeared on TV, said three people came into the restaurant between 6.53pm and 9.10pm on October 16 and, after meals and cocktails amounting to £130, they said they 'didn't have any money' to pay the bill.
He claims one of the trio left the scene, but the other two stayed and gave names and numbers, which are false.
"They were utterly, utterly charming," he said.
"When it came to paying they said they 'didn't have any money'. One ran off and the other two stayed but gave a false name. They couldn't give a damn really and then they just walked off.
"It is terrible, isn't it, that people think they can just walk in and do that?"
Mr Brodel said he called the police but officers did not attend at the time.
"We wanted the police to come really so they could verify that we were given the right names," he said.
"It is upsetting. It is not just the food, it is that we work hard to get a five star hygiene rating, a good reputation, everyone has worked hard to create this.
"All of our staff were kind of traumatised by it because how can they do that?"
He said he has now invested in technology including iPads which will mean they can charge upfront, rather than after guests finish their meals.
He added: "I have been in this business all my life and I have had Kings for 14 years and I would say the industry is very tough at the moment.
"It has been a labour of love and it is a kick in the teeth."
A UKHospitality spokesperson said: “Any customers walking out of restaurants without paying is simply unacceptable and shows a complete lack of respect towards businesses and teams that work incredibly hard to provide guests with good service, good food and good experiences.
“We would encourage any operators who experience walkouts to report it to the police.”
A recent survey of their members found a third of operators have recently experienced an incident of ‘dine and dash’ and, of those affected, 29% say the frequency of incidents has increased compared to the previous year.
Of the Newmarket incident, a Suffolk Police spokesperson said: "Officers are investigating an incident in Newmarket on the evening of October 16 where it was reported three persons who had disclosed they did not have any means of payment left a restaurant following a meal.
"The restaurant has since been unable to contact the persons involved via details that had been left. An investigation is ongoing.
They continued: "Crime prevention advice for businesses includes having good quality, working CCTV. Further guidance can be found on the Suffolk Constabulary website: https://www.suffolk.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/keeping-business-safe-from-crime."
They confirmed that there have currently been no arrests in the case, which has a crime reference number of 37/59177/24.
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