'Tired of paying on their behalf': Restaurant in MacPherson sees several dine-and-dash incidents in 4 months

Over the past four months of operations at their new premises in MacPherson, vegetarian Indonesian restaurant Warung Ijo has been hit with multiple dine-and-dash incidents.

The last of which, however, was resolved after the customer came forward later to make payment.

Taking to Facebook last Saturday (Dec 2), the eatery appealed for help in a now-deleted post to locate two diners that had left without making payment that morning, reported Shin Min Daily News.

An attached photo reportedly showed the duo sitting at the restaurant as well as their unsettled bill of $61.90.

The duo had visited the Warung Ijo at about 11am and ordered several dishes for dine-in, as well as a gado-gado dish costing $13.20 for takeaway, according to the Chinese evening daily.

When Shin Min visited the restaurant that afternoon, the manager, surnamed Huang, confirmed the incident. He stated that he was unsure, however, if the patrons intended to dine and dash or merely forgot to pay.

This incident is also the fifth such case that the restaurant has encountered since their opening in August, revealed Huang.

The unpaid bills ranged from $20 to $70 each, leading to an accumulated loss of around $300 for the eatery.

Huang said that the restaurant owner bore the cost for the first bill, but he and his coworkers on duty had to foot the customers' bills for subsequent incidents.

"It is not a small amount, and we are tired of paying on their behalf," he bemoaned.

Previously, customers would have to make payment for their orders before the food is served, but the manager explained that several diners had complained about the inconvenience when wanting to place additional orders.

Hence, the restaurant adopted a new process where diners first place their orders via a QR code, and pay later at the counter after their meal.

Of the most recent case, Huang said that four staff were manning the restaurant that morning, and they only had a handful of customers.

But in a momentary lapse of attention, staff had failed to notice the diners leaving before they finished settling their bill.

"This gets even harder to manage when we are busy," added Huang.

The incident ended on a positive note, however.

In an update posted to Facebook later that day, the restaurant said the customers had contacted them and paid for their meal, adding: "We are glad it's a case of negligence."

ALSO READ: 'Not a small amount for me': Waitress saddled with $245 bill after couple feasts on $200 fish, leaves without paying

lim.kewei@asiaone.com

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