Dine and dashers will put me out of business! Family-run restaurant owner slams brazen group who it says ‘ordered £390 worth of steaks and carbonara before calling it ‘rubbish’ and refusing to pay’

A restaurant owner has said a dine and dash epidemic will force him to close after he says a group of ten fled in a pickup truck without paying.

The group, which included men, women and children, is said to have consumed £390 worth of food before refusing to pay and leaving in an untaxed pickup truck.

‘These people need to be named and shamed,’ said Neil Kimber, the owner of La Banca, an Italian restaurant in Selsey, West Sussex. 

‘They said the food was rubbish and they weren’t paying before pulling out a wedge of about £1000 in cash and throwing down £60 after I said the drinks they had couldn’t have been rubbish.

‘They knew what they were doing, they’re not stupid. It’s getting more and more common down here,’ Kimber said.

A restaurant owner has said a dine and dash epidemic will force him to close after a group of ten left in a pickup truck without paying. The restaurant say the group, which included men, women and children, consumed £390 worth of food before refusing to pay and leaving in an untaxed pickup truck

‘These people need to be named and shamed,’ said Neil Kimber, the owner of La Banca, an Italian restaurant in Selsey, West Sussex. Pictured: owner Neil Kimber and Head Chef Jack Longland

The group had booked a table for eight but arrived with ten people, including six children. They ordered dishes like ragu and carbonara before refusing to pay the full amount

The group had booked a table for eight but arrived with ten people, including six children. 

They ordered dishes like ragu and carbonara before refusing to pay the full amount.   

‘It’s people like you who will bring a small business like us down,’ he said, adding that many other small businesses in Selsey could face similar challenges and ‘cripple’.

La Banca prides itself on using locally sourced ingredients, and Kimber pointed out that the unpaid bill could have covered a £400 invoice from the local butcher. 

As a family-run establishment, Kimber was particularly disheartened to see another large family group leave without paying.

Kimber also mentioned that the vehicle used by the group was spotted on the High Street and was found to be untaxed. 

Despite the seriousness of the situation, he has not reported the incident to the police, citing a lack of action on similar matters. But he told MailOnline the restaurant still ‘might’. 

‘We don’t want to charge our customers up front, but it’s getting worse.

‘The dine and dash craze will ruin businesses,’ Kimber said. 

‘Selsey is only a sleepy town and we’re being taken advantage of. It’s just getting constant.

‘We are a family restaurant and we value our reviews.’