Police have apprehended two diners who allegedly left a Bencoolen bar, a Bras Basah bistro, and three other eateries with unpaid bills.
Two weeks ago, a group left SMÖÖbar along Prinsep Street without settling their S$275 bill.
Before that, two of them had also gone to Jyu Gae Bistro and left without paying for their S$289.98 meal.
Coincidentally, these two eateries were literally a street away from each other.
According to The Straits Times (ST), they owed the five eateries a total of over S$2,000.
In a statement released on Wednesday (19 Apr), the police revealed that five reports have been made against the two dine-and-dashers.
ST noted that they are 20 and 23 years old.
The reports were filed in the span of a week, between 5 Apr and 13 Apr. The police arrested the pair on Tuesday (18 Apr).
The police shared that the unnamed suspects’ modus operandi would be to dine together or with others. They would then proceed to order large amounts of food and beverages.
When it came time to pay up, they would tell the staff that they would settle the payment later or use a card that would be declined.
Source: SMÖÖbar on Facebook
The police did not specify the three other eateries besides SMÖÖbar and Jyu Gae Bistro that lodged reports.
Investigations into this case are still underway.
On Saturday (8 Apr), the pair visited SMÖÖbar on Prinsep Street with two others.
They all arrived and left the establishment separately.
When approached for payment, the group allegedly told the waitstaff to leave the S$275 bill on the table.
However, they departed the bar one by one without making payment.
SMÖÖbar later took to Facebook to appeal for information on the group.
They managed to get in touch with one of the people involved, only to be ghosted when they chased for payment.
However, that was not the first time the pair got up to their alleged shenanigans.
Turns out, on 11 Mar, the pair was eating at Jyu Gae Bistro in Bras Basah when they apparently told the staff that they were stepping out to have a smoke.
Although they told staff they would return to settle their S$289.98 bill, they never returned from their supposed smoke break.
At first, the staff chalked it up to them having forgotten to pay. They only realised the two men were seasoned dine-and-dashers when they came across SMÖÖbar’s Facebook appeal.
The bistro then filed a police report and shared their experience on social media as well.
As humans, it is only natural that we are sometimes forgetful. It is not uncommon to forget to pay when dining out.
However, the right thing to do when you realise you forgot to pay or when the eatery contacts you is to settle what you owe as soon as possible — and not hope that the eateries have long forgotten your unpaid bill.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from SMÖÖbar on Facebook and Jyu Gae Bistro on Facebook.
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