Admit it. At some point in your restaurant-going life, there was a time where you almost split without paying the check. Whether you ran to the restroom and thought your friend was taking care of the bill or you waited for your server to show up and drop the check after what seemed like an eternity, there was that moment. You then probably either laughed that thought away Walter Mitty-style or you sheepishly lunged for the folio, hoping no one mistook you for a dine-and-dasher.
Blackbrick's Richard Hales is hoping that the couple who did a dine-and-dash during Sunday's busy brunch service just forgot to pay their check. Hales posted a photo on Instagram earlier today with a message to the non-payers:
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"If you are the couple in this pic who left without paying your bill please return to pay if you forgot. We have blurred the image here but have clear originals of you at the bar, sitting at the table and walking to the bathroom. 8/3 Sunday brunch 1pm - 2pm".
Hales told Short Order that this is the first time someone's walked out on a check at Blackbrick and that he hopes the couple just made a mistake. He explains that after enjoying some dim sum items, the duo told their server that they had to suddenly leave and asked for the rest of their meal to go. They waited at the bar for a few minutes, then left abruptly. Hales, who intentionally blocked the couples' faces in the photo, is hoping they come in and make good on the meal.
A "dine and dash" or "eat and run" may sound like a harmless prank, but in actuality it can land you in jail.
According to lawinfo.com, not only is skipping out on a check immoral, it's a crime that ranges from petty theft in California to a felony offense in Mississippi. In Florida, skipping out on a tab of under $100 would be considered petit theft in the second degree. If your tab is over $100, it's first degree petit theft.
There are also some restaurants that make the server responsible for the lost revenue although, according to the Florida Restaurant Law blog, the ultimate responsibility lies with management. Follow Laine Doss on Twitter @LaineDoss and Facebook. Follow Short Order on Facebook, Twitter @Short_Order, and Instagram @ShortOrder.
