Restaurant releases CCTV image of devastating 'dine and dash' incident in plea for help

A new restaurant has revealed a couple dined and left without paying their bill on its grand opening night - and now a CCTV image has been released in a bid to get the alleged perpetrators to settle up

A new restaurant in Wales has issued a plea to the public after it was hit by a brazen "dine and dash" incident on its opening night.

The Welsh House in Carmarthen accused to diners of leaving their establishment without paying - and released a CCTV image in a bid to catch the alleged perpetrators. The new venue claims the two guests disappeared without paying the £155 bill they had racked up, saying the alleged incident has marred their new venture. t.

Th restaurant opened its doors in St Catherine’s Walk in the centre of Carmarthen just over a week ago. It followed other venues in Cardiff, Swansea and Neath and had taken over a town centre building which had been left empty since the closure of a Frankie and Benny’s restaurant in 2023.

The new establishment has been receiving rave reviews online, with impressive scores and comments flying in on the likes of Google Reviews and TripAdvisor. However, while the reviews are praising the food, the opening night incident has left a sour taste in the mouths of the owners.

According to the complaint, a bill worth £155.60 went unpaid by two diners. A receipt shows the couple ordered food and drink including fillet steaks at more than £30 each, as well as £25 bottles of Malbec wine and Irish whiskey coffees.

In the released CCTV snap, The Welsh House showed a couple leaving the venue on Friday, October 25, at 9.47pm. It's hoped by doing so, the alleged dashers will come forward and admit leaving was a "genuine mistake".

A spokesperson for the restaurant said: "We opened our doors on Friday, October 25, and our team has loved preparing our wholesome Welsh dishes and serving our fantastic customers here in Carmarthen. Unfortunately, on the evening of our opening day, a couple dined with us and left without paying their bill.

“We put a message out on social media as we truly hoped it was an oversight and that the couple would come forward and settle what they owe. The response from the public and the town has been incredible. People understand that hospitality is a tough sector. Average profit margins are between just 3% and 5% and a ‘dine and dash’ incident can mean the difference between making a modest profit or a loss on any day."

The statement continued: "We remain committed to providing honest food made from the best locally sourced Welsh produce and to keeping our authentic dishes affordable for all our customers. We want to thank everyone for their support. It has been truly humbling. From people popping in to ask how we are all getting on to seeing positive messages online."

They went on to state the CCTV from table 6 has been released, but they don't want to ‘name and shame’. Instead, they are hoping it was a genuine mistake and can be swiftly rectified so they can "draw a line under the event".

Only last month, it was reported that restaurants across Britain have seen a wave of dine and dash incidents this summer. In a survey published in 2018, one in ever 20 Brits confessed to the crime.