A BRAZEN group of dine and dashers left a waitress with bruises while fleeing from a £400 bill, the restaurant’s owner has said.
The six people were eating at the Aegean Breeze Seafood & Steak House in Worcester and began complaining about the food tasting “earthy”.
The group then started to get “hostile” and “aggressive” towards the staff and allegedly fled the restaurant without paying their £396 bill.
Paul Faulkner, the restaurant’s operations director, told The Sun: “An employee stood in front of one of the men and was pushed out of the way, which left her with a bruise on her arm.
“We posted the footage online to put the word out that small businesses shouldn’t go through this.”
The fish and seafood restaurant on Friary Walk opened in August last year and has “never had an issue” with its customers before now.
Six people entered the restaurant on June 27 and were seated at a table.
After consuming the food and drinks they ordered, Faulkner said that they complained about the quality of the food, saying that the shellfish platter tasted “earthy”, the BBC reported.
The group then allegedly became “hostile” and “verbally abusive” to staff.
Faulkner said that other customers began to be disturbed by the incident, with staff trying to defuse the situation.
While trying to leave the restaurant without paying the bill the group had racked up, one of the men physically moved a member of staff, which left her with a bruise on her arm, Faulkner said.
The business posted photos of the people online to “help other businesses”.
In an online statement, a restaurant spokesperson said: “We are sharing CCTV images to help other local businesses recognise these individuals and remain vigilant, as we believe this was a deliberate act.
“We would also like to sincerely apologise to all of our customers who were dining with us at the time and witnessed the incident. We understand it may have been upsetting to see.
“These individuals are no longer welcome at our restaurant, and the matter has been reported to the police, who are now dealing with the incident.”
The incident has been reported to West Mercia Police, who have launched an investigation.
The Sun has contacted the police for comment.
