Ladbible X Whatsapp
  • iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Family-of-eight 'does runner without paying £329 bill' leaving restaurant bosses 'devastated'

Home> News> UK News

Published 10:30 22 Apr 2024 GMT+1

Family-of-eight 'does runner without paying £329 bill' leaving restaurant bosses 'devastated'

Footage from Bella Ciao Italian restaurant in Port Talbot went viral online

Jess Battison

Jess Battison

It’s pretty fair to say times have been tough for hospitality business across the UK. But it certainly makes it even worse when customers don’t cough up their cash.

And one family-of-eight have been accused of doing a runner from a Welsh restaurant over the weekend.

Bosses of the newly opened Bella Ciao restaurant in Port Talbot say they were left ‘devastated’ after the diners allegedly got off without paying their £329 bill.

The Italian food spot shared footage and snaps of the family to social media accusing them of getting off, adding ‘shame on you’.

Advert

The restaurant caught them on CCTV. (Facebook/Bella Ciao Swansea)
The restaurant caught them on CCTV. (Facebook/Bella Ciao Swansea)

The Mirror reports they enjoyed a massive scran of pricey steaks, 15 bottles of fizzy drinks and treated themselves to double desserts for their hearty meal.

Manager Tyrone Reese said: “They were ordering the most expensive things on the menu, like T-bone steaks and the like.

“My wife said 'Something's not right.' They went full-on with their order but they were also sending plates back half empty.”

In the Facebook post, the restaurant alleges that the woman attempted to pay with a savings account card twice but it declined and assured her son would wait inside while she went out to get her ‘other card’.

Advert

“Of course she does not return and then the son receives a phone call and says he has to go and does a runner,” it adds.

Bella Ciao say it was unable to contact the family as they used a ‘fake’ number to make their reservation, so it had ‘no choice’ but to report the incident to police.

“To do this to anyone is disgusting but to do this to a newly open restaurant is even worse!” the restaurant adds.

Police are investigating. (Facebook/Bella Ciao Swansea)
Police are investigating. (Facebook/Bella Ciao Swansea)

South Wales police told LADbible it was called just before 9.40pm on 19 April with a report ‘of making off without payment from a business premises on Castle Street, Swansea’.

Advert

“Investigations are ongoing to establish the full circumstances behind the incident and to identify those involved,” police added.

The family’s dine and dash went viral online with millions viewing a post on X and Reese said he was flooded with calls from other nearby restaurants detailing similar incidents with a family.

He added: “I don't understand how they [the family] can get away with this

“It annoys me to know this is happening and that they are getting away with it."

The only positive has been that the restaurant ‘tripled’ its booking following the incident.

Advert

Reese added: "I took it as a sign of solidarity. I felt fantastic, not about the money but about how people reacted positively to such a negative situation."

LADbible has contacted Bella Ciao for comment.

Featured Image Credit: Facebook/Bella Ciao Swansea

Topics: Crime, Social Media, Money, Food And Drink, UK News

Jess Battison
Jess Battison

Jess is a Senior Journalist with a love of all things pop culture. Her main interests include asking everyone in the office what they're having for tea, waiting for a new series of The Traitors and losing her voice at a Beyoncé concert. She graduated with a first in Journalism from City, University of London in 2021.

X

@jessbattison_

Advert

Advert

Advert

  • Major update issued after family-of-eight 'did runner without paying £329 bill'
  • Ryanair boss receives restaurant bill with ‘extra leg room’ and ‘booth seating’ added on top
  • Restaurant releases CCTV after couple 'deliberately put glass in their food’ before refusing to pay £65 bill
  • Restaurant slammed after adding massive charge to bill if customers share food

Choose your content:

an hour ago
2 hours ago
  • an hour ago

    Chilling truth behind seemingly normal family portrait dubbed ‘scariest photo ever taken’

    The Lawson family portrait is one of the most haunting and disturbing images ever

    News
  • an hour ago

    22-year-old diagnosed with life-threatening condition after her symptoms were dismissed as heatstroke

    Moli Morgan said that there 'were no warning signs for what was about to come'

    News
  • 2 hours ago

    Experts issue stark warning over ‘Monday blues’ as phenomenon could have very real threat to your health

    Brilliant, another reason to dread Mondays

    News
  • 2 hours ago

    Donald Trump threatens to illegally revoke citizenship of TV host Rosie O'Donnell

    The commander-in-chief described the comedian as a 'threat to humanity'

    News