A pub landlord says he is counting the cost after claiming three diners ‘did a runner’ without paying for their Sunday lunches. Mark Robbie says the trio enjoyed roast beef and gammon dinners at the Butchers Arms in Audley before making off without paying.
Police are now investigating the incident and appealed for help to trace those allegedly involved. StokeonTrentLive reported that the bill only came to £35 - and still they had scarpered.
Landlord Mr Robbie said: “A woman and two men came with with two dogs - a German Shepherd and a tiny dog. They’d paid for their drinks at the bar. The woman paid for them using her phone because one of the men couldn’t get his to work.
“They all ordered roast dinners. Two of them ordered the roast beef and the other ordered gammon. They were all cooked by my fair hand.
“They were sitting in the beer garden at the back of the pub. They’d even asked where to pay. The guy with the German Shepherd left first and then the man and woman with the small dog left two to three minutes later.
“When they left the beer garden to go back to their cars they walked past the door. We realised what had happened when they pulled out of the car park.
“I’ve got a phone number and I’ve left several voicemails with no response. It’s so annoying. You need every penny you can get when you’re running a business like this.”
Mark said the trio had even asked where they should go to pay for their meals - but then left within minutes of each other after finishing their food at around 1.54pm on Sunday.
Explaining the impact on his pub, Mark, who has been landlord there since June 2019, said: “It might be £35 but every penny counts in a business like this. It’s theft at the end of the day. If I drove off a petrol station forecourt without paying I’m sure police would be on my doorstep.
“It is quite rare for such a thing to happen here, but since I put the Facebook post up I’ve had several people in hospitality in the Stoke-on-Trent area contact me to say this has happened to them too.”
A Staffordshire Police spokesperson said: “We received a report on 20 June reporting that three people had not paid for their meals, worth a total of £35, at the Butchers Arms, Church Street, Audley, on Sunday 18 June.
“We are carrying out enquiries. If you have any information that could help us with our inquiries, contact us through Live Chat on our website - www.staffordshire.police.uk - or call 101, quoting incident number 518 of 21 June. To report anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
