Have you ever done a runner?

Outlaw Pete · 13-09-2016 01:47PM #1

Just reading there where a couple in the UK treated themselves to a slap up meal of T-bone steaks, chocolate pudding and Bailey's in a country pub, but afterwards jumped over a hedge and pegged it.

Couple ran up a £150 bill dining on steak, wine and spirits at a country pub – before jumping over a hedge

A young couple ran up a £150 bill feasting on steak, fine wine and spirits before jumping over a hedge and into the night in a brazen dine-and-dash scam.

Police are hunting for the thieves after they left without paying at the Unruly Pig, in Bromeswell, near Woodbridge, Suffolk, last Friday night.

The suspects, both in their twenties, enjoyed a cold meat platter, chilled soup, T-bone and rump steak and chocolate pudding as well two bottles of Italian white wine, four liqueurs, three cognacs and sparkling water.

Reminds me of when I was 17 and about eight of us arrived back in Dublin from Féile, most of us not having eaten in 48 hours or so (spent all our cash on the old drink of course) and having just watched everyone on the train back up tucking into all sorts of grub. Sure we were fit to ate the hand of someone and so we all bailed into a chippers in the city centre, tucked into some fish and chips, beans and the like.... then legged it. Ran all the way to Fairview if I remember right. I did pay my own share back though many years later when I left them a €12.75 tip after a fry up.

How about yourselves, ever done a runner to avoid paying for a mean or cab fare etc?

Timberrrrrrrr · 13-09-2016 01:49PM

No, I'm not a thief

SEPT 23 1989 · 13-09-2016 01:52PM

Never

me_irl · 13-09-2016 01:54PM

No. I'm not a c*nt (contrary to popular opinion!).

livedadream · 13-09-2016 01:58PM

no, im not a scumbag.

Dardania · 13-09-2016 01:58PM

Yes - from an Asian restaurant at the top of South Great Georges Street. With a friend and my now wife. We asked for the bill on a thursday evening - no sign of it after 10 minutes. Asked again (and also could they throw us down some sakes) - the sakes arrived, but no bill. tried to make eye contact with the waitress a thrid time a few mins after asking for the second time - steadfastly ignored. So we walked out one by one, with the agreement that if any of us were stopped, we'd pay.

Never got stopped. Delicious

whiskeyman · 13-09-2016 02:03PM

Dardania wrote: »

Yes - from an Asian restaurant at the top of South Great Georges Street. With a friend and my now wife. We asked for the bill on a thursday evening - no sign of it after 10 minutes. Asked again (and also could they throw us down some sakes) - the sakes arrived, but no bill. tried to make eye contact with the waitress a thrid time a few mins after asking for the second time - steadfastly ignored. So we walked out one by one, with the agreement that if any of us were stopped, we'd pay.

Never got stopped. Delicious

You obviously had wanton disregard to their business...

Winterlong · 13-09-2016 02:07PM

On my 21st birthday I legged it with a kebab from some place. I was out of my bin at the time and have no idea why I did it. Genuinely out of character.
I did anonymously pay for that kebab the next time I visited that city....18 years later.

andekwarhola · 13-09-2016 02:08PM

My wife knew a few people that did, years ago, but one of them fell during the escape, broke his ankle and got caught. :pac:

Badly Drunk Boy · 13-09-2016 02:11PM

whiskeyman wrote: »

You obviously had wanton disregard to their business...

They obviously had wanton disregard to their own business.

Wouldn't do it myself, though.

andekwarhola · 13-09-2016 02:12PM

whiskeyman wrote: »

You obviously had wanton disregard to their business...

He didn't specifically say they had wontons.

Turquoise Hexagon Sun · 13-09-2016 02:14PM

whiskeyman wrote: »

You obviously had wanton disregard to their business...

They restaurant obviously had wanton disregard for customer service and being paid, lol

eoghan104 · 13-09-2016 02:15PM

Did it once in Eddie Rockets after a rake of pints. One of the lads ate the bill and we all walked out.

Obviously it's not a great thing to do. I certainly wouldn't do it now, but someone saying they went back and paid 18 years later is a liar, or a liar.

Winterlong · 13-09-2016 02:18PM

eoghan104 wrote: »

Someone saying they went back and paid 18 years later is a liar, or a liar.

Why do you think I am a liar?

The Diddakoi · 13-09-2016 02:21PM

I know I couldn't jump over a hedge after a share of 2 bottles of Italian wine, 4 liqueurs and 3 cognacs !!

andekwarhola · 13-09-2016 02:22PM

eoghan104 wrote: »

but someone saying they went back and paid 18 years later is a liar, or a liar.

Winterlong wrote: »

Why do you think I am a liar?

To be fair, he gave you a choice between being a liar or a liar.

qo2cj1dsne8y4k · 13-09-2016 02:22PM

Nope! But when my boyfriend lived in Toronto, I was over there for a few days and we went for dinner in this pub that had seats outside near the waterfront. He had to leave to take a work call and was gone for ages, and I really needed to pee so I got up and went inside to find a bathroom.

When I came back out, our table was taken and I went to find the lady to pay and she was very surprised to see me, she had assumed we left!

cml387 · 13-09-2016 02:27PM

White wine with steak:eek:
That's a far worse crime in my view.

Speedwell · 13-09-2016 02:31PM

My old boss told me years ago he did some freelance computer work for a restaurant that signed off on the work as good and then refused to pay the invoice. After six months he went to dinner there, racked up a bill just below the invoice amount, and left his invoice with "paid in kind" written across it.

godtabh · 13-09-2016 02:35PM

alf66 wrote: »

I know I couldn't jump over a hedge after a share of 2 bottles of Italian wine, 4 liqueurs and 3 cognacs !!

probably fell over.

helimachoptor · 13-09-2016 02:38PM

Once in Against the Grain

Was out with a couple of people from work, I went to the toilet and came back and the plates were gone, so i assumed one of my team paid, she assumed i paid.

The kitchen closed and no one gave us a bill.. discovered the mix up the next day and called them, dropped in a few days later to pay and credit to them, they only took 50%

harry Bailey esq · 13-09-2016 02:41PM

Myself and a friend once stumbled into a fancy hotel in tenerife and piled our plates high with bacon,sausages,eggs,beans,the works from a breakfast buffet and we tucked in.We were expecting it to cost an arm and a leg but we were on our first day of holiday and were fairly flush.So there we were,with happy bellys waiting for a bill.Got the attention of the waiter,who strangely disappeared and returned with a jug of orange juice,and then proceeded to hover around us asking what part of Ireland were from and other small talk turned out he was a big hurling fan(despite him being of North African origin.It was at this point,exasperated,that we threw 30quid on the table and bid him farewell. The look on his face was priceless,he thanked us profusely,and said he would personally attend to us for the rest of our stay(we weren't even staying there but said nothing out of politeness).It was only as we were heading out through the dining room towards the front door that it dawned on us,everyone was wearing wristbands!We could have had the feast for free,unchallenged, had we not got the attention of the waiter.Neither of us felt guilty because whatevers left behind gets binned, and yer man got the equivalent of a days wages as a tip.

MeatTwoVeg · 13-09-2016 02:50PM

An acquaintance of mine did it from an Eddie Rockets while very inebriated.

He legged it out the door and sprinted down the street, realising when he had gotten several hundred yards away that;
A) nobody was chasing him.
And

He'd left his coat behind which was worth several times more than the bill he'd just dodged.

Served him right really.

byronbay2 · 13-09-2016 03:07PM

In the late 80s, while at college, I did a few summers on the building sites in London. One year, I worked with 2 brothers from Devon (early 20s, 6' 2" approx.) who worked as scaffolders and were both built like brick sh!thouses. For those who don't know, scaffolding is a very physically demanding and well-paid job in the construction industry, where you tend to get some very well-built and rather unsavoury characters.

I didn't witness them do it but believed them when they told me that they went together for a meal almost every weekend in whatever part of London took their fancy. They had whatever they liked on the menu with beer/wine etc. and racked up a substantial bill. After the meal (and coffee), they would get up and walk together out of the restaurant. Often nobody said anything to them but, if anyone did, their stock reply was "we're not paying for that sh!t", even though the meal may have been delicious. Whatever happened, they didn't stop but continued walking calmly out the door without looking back.

Now, in fairness, it was a different world back then, with no internet or social media to "name and shame" people, and no smartphones to catch them on camera but they said they never got anything but minor hassle and abuse from staff/owners, which didn't bother them in the slightest. I can well understand why, as (even though I got on well with them) they were genuine hard men who would take some stopping - I certainly wouldn't have tried it had I been a restaurant owner!

On several occasions, they invited me to join them but I demurred - I couldn't have enjoyed the meal knowing what was coming at the end. Most Monday mornings, at tea break, they would regale me with the story of the "free" meal they had the previous weekend, with a critique of the restaurant. Quite the gourmands, they were!

bnt · 13-09-2016 03:08PM

No, I happen to hold the archaically quaint view that one pays one's way in the world.

Fluffy Cat 88 · 13-09-2016 03:24PM

I did but it was accidental

New cafe opened up in town, self service type place. Got a lovely lasagne with chips and a big salad, 2 coffees (shift workers like their coffee), and the nice lady said "ah you're grand, pay me when you're finished".

Guzzled the lot and forgot to pay. Driving back to work when I realised. I went back straight away, ran in, paid and apologised profusely . She said "ah sure I never even noticed, you're very honest thanks very much".

About 2 weeks later it closed down.

Lovely Bloke · 13-09-2016 03:30PM

helimachoptor wrote: »

Once in Against the Grain

Was out with a couple of people from work, I went to the toilet and came back and the plates were gone, so i assumed one of my team paid, she assumed i paid.

The kitchen closed and no one gave us a bill.. discovered the mix up the next day and called them, dropped in a few days later to pay and credit to them, they only took 50%

You know what, on two occasions now their sister pub The Brew Dock have done similar with me, and one of their Galway pubs have done the same with my brother.

harry Bailey esq · 13-09-2016 03:39PM

Lovely Bloke wrote: »

You know what, on two occasions now their sister pub The Brew Dock have done similar with me, and one of their Galway pubs have done the same with my brother.

Probably not accidental at all,maybe they just rightly assumed you were a lovely bloke

13-09-2016 03:40PM

A few times in hotels where breakfast wasn't included in the room price but I had it anyway and said nothing. They charge enough for the room anyway.

Elliott S · 13-09-2016 04:24PM

Naya Teeny Pilot wrote: »

A few times in hotels where breakfast wasn't included in the room price but I had it anyway and said nothing. They charge enough for the room anyway.

Anywhere I've been, they ask for your room number. How would you get away with that?

13-09-2016 04:35PM

When I was a student, I was asked out to a dinner at a nice local restaurant by a couple who had asked a good few out to celebrate their engagement. They made a big thing out of taking everyone out for a meal, and while I didn't know them all that well, a free meal to a student is a free meal you don't refuse.

They took us out and we all ordered, and being a nice guest I made sure I didn't order anything particularly expensive, unlike some others who boozed up and ordered steaks bigger than an average dog. At the end of the meal, after every thanked the couple for their generosity, and toasted them happiness in their future life, I went off to the loo to get ready for the walk home and like has happened a few people, when I came out, nearly everyone had left apart from some people I didn't really know, so off I went.

Turned out the couple 'hosting' this dinner party expected everyone to pay for themselves and I'd skipped out without paying. They'd repeatedly said I was their guest and to order whatever I want, it was their party, etc., etc. I went back and paid the £50 for the meal I had - it would have been much more if I was a drinker, but I never spoke to the happy couple again as it was £50 I simply couldn't afford. A decision reinforced by the wedding invitation asking for 'at least' £200 in cash or vouchers. From a student.

The moral of the story is there's no such thing as a free lunch. Or dinner.

Have you ever done a runner?

Comments