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Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE First date from hell: Woman finds herself accused of dine and dash scam - as suitor insists their £58 curry bill will be paid in full
A woman who agreed to go on a first date with a new man thought she was going for a romantic restaurant meal but ended up with her face plastered all over the media after he failed to pay the bill. The blind date from Hell happened last Thursday at Cafe Spice, a family-run Indian restaurant in Darlington, Co Durham. The blonde woman in her thirties had agreed to meet a man she had chatted to online for the first to see if they could strike up any romance - on the understanding that he would be picking up the £58 bill. The pair chatted while dining on butter chicken, samosas, bhajis, rice, and drinks before a bill was presented - and the woman then left without realising it hadn't been paid. And that was because her date had, he insists, suffered an incredible run of misfortune: He had his debit card swallowed by an ATM just before he went to meet her for the first time Then his online bank closed his account without his knowledge. His phone was disconnected without his knowledge because of issues around paying bills The furious restaurant responded by leaking CCTV images of the first date pair to first local and then national media, including MailOnline. Today the man, who declined to be named, told us: 'I took a girl out - it's an absolute nightmare. 'She never knew. She went to the car. She has no idea.' He went on: 'I had no intention of doing a runner, mate. I never went back because it was too late by the time I searched for the funds. 'I've been begging to get the cash because my bank account has shut. Anyway it is what it is. It will be paid as soon as I get the cash in my hand. 'I'm having a nightmare. I'm going to be there as soon as I can with the cash. It's rather embarrassing to be honest and I'll be there to pay as soon as possible. 'I do not make a habit of doing this. It's one of those things – an innocent thing. The police rang me earlier and I informed them of the same thing. 'It will be paid. Simple as that. 10,000 percent.' Cafe Spice, a regional winner at the National Curry Awards, said the pair arrived separately on Thursday night - with the man entering first, and the woman joining about 20 minutes later. Restaurant manager Ishy Miah, 22, said the male told staff his card had been swallowed earlier by a cash machine and asked if he could pay by bank transfer. Workers agreed, but once the meal ended, the man said he would 'nip out' to get cash instead - but the pair never came back. The man denied deliberately fleeing, insisting: 'I went to try and get cash but it was too late [to go back to the restaurant] by the time I ran all over, panicking. I was trying to borrow cash. I was trying to get hold of money.' He claimed the phone number he gave the restaurant was his secondary mobile, and that it had been disconnected without his knowledge after a missed bill. He added: 'I have two numbers and because my bank's blocked, it's been cut off. My number got cut off because I couldn't pay my bill.' 'I'm going to pay the bill and with interest.' The restaurant, which shared CCTV images of the pair online, said the total cost of the meal was £58 - including tandoori butter chicken, special rice, chips, poppadoms, bhajis, samosas, and Cobra beer and Pepsi drinks. Mr Miah claimed: 'They didn't act suspiciously at all, they seemed normal. That's why we let them go to get cash. 'He said he was going to get cash from the cashpoint. He claimed he worked at the Bannatyne Hotel in Darlington and gave us a mobile number. 'But they just never came back. 'Since then, he's been messaging us saying, 'I'll pay on this day,' or 'I'll come in at this time,' but it's all rubbish.' The restaurant obtained the man's correct phone number from their records when the table booking was made last Thursday. Mr Miah says he tried contacting the man - who responded by claiming repeatedly that he would be returning shortly to pay but failed to do so. Mr Miah said the man had messaged with a series of unfulfilled promises. As of this morning, the bill still remained unpaid. This is not the first time Cafe Spice has been targeted by dishonest diners. In 2023, a group of three men skipped out on a £108 bill, and another couple walked out on an £83 tab after saying they were going out to vape. Mr Miah said: 'You do your best to run a business and then people take advantage like this. Running a restaurant's hard, especially these days. With bills, wages, rates – everything's going up.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Naan-paying customers! Hunt for dine-and-dashers who feasted on curry and butter chicken without settling their £58 bill
A hunt has been launched for a couple of alleged 'dine and dashers' accused of feasting on curry and butter chicken before failing to pay a £58 bill. The pair enjoyed a meal at Cafe Spice in Darlington, County Durham, before apparently leaving to take money from a cash machine - only to fail to return, restaurant owners say. The suspected dine-and-dashers ordered an array of food which included a chicken curry and tandoori butter chicken, priced at £11.95 and £12.95 respectively. The diners also sought special rice at £4.95, £5.25 onion bhajis, a pickle tray priced at £2.95, £3.25 chips, three poppadoms costing £2.70 and vegetable samosas at £5. The meal was washed down with a large Cobra beer, billed at £5.50, as well as a £4 pint of Pepsi. Now the restaurant traders have shared images and called for help tracking down the 'dash and diners' who allegedly left without paying. Ishy Miah, 22, whose father owns the restaurant, said: 'It's disgusting, it's theft. You wouldn't go into Sainsburys and steal your shopping so why are you coming into the restaurant and stealing the food? 'This isn't the first time it has happened, we had a couple of women run off without paying last year. We work really hard and shouldn't have to deal with this. They have appealed for information about a couple alleged to have left without paying their bill 'They were acting weird and said his card had been eaten by a cash machine and asked to pay via bank transfer. 'But then he said that wasn't working and he would have to get cash. We have received messages since the incident from him saying he will pay but he hasn't. 'We posted it on Facebook to gather more information about them before contacting the police. 'When we reported a dine and dash to the police before they said to put it online to get more information so that's what we're doing.' Cafe Spice has also released a statement appealing for help, saying: 'Imagine adding a bit of spice to your criminal record over a £58 bill. 'These two lovely folks said they were off to get cash after their card declined—never saw them again. Any info would be greatly appreciated.' Durham Police has been approached for comment. This latest alleged 'dine and dash' comes after a series of similar sprees - and the revelation this week by TV personality Katie Piper of her experience on a first date. She told how a man once left her with a £740 restaurant tab after running off due to her facial disfigurement. The British author and TV presenter, 41, was the victim of a horrific acid attack set up by her ex-boyfriend when she was 24 - leaving her with severe scarring to her face, neck, chest, arms and hands. Speaking at the Hay Festival, Piper recalled the shocking moment a man she had met in a bar invited her to the Japanese restaurant Nobu in central London, before doing a runner. She said: 'We'd met on a night out. I'd had pioneering treatment with incredible results, so when I would go out somewhere with dark lighting, where people were very drunk, often they weren't able to see what I fully looked like. 'So I met this guy and we messaged for quite a long time. He suggested we go out for dinner. 'I hated going out for dinner because I had a lot of oesophageal damage and often I'd choke when I ate, so the whole idea of eating in front of someone on a first date was nerve-wracking, but I agreed.' The date took place in summer so it was daylight, the star said, and she realised straight away the man had not realised she had a facial disfigurement when first meeting her in the bar. The date had chosen the dinner location and ordered a three-course meal,she added - telling the podcast: 'He said, "I've seen some people I know over there, I'm going to go and say hi to them and I'll be back". He didn't come back.' Author and TV presenter Katie Piper (pictured at the BAFTA Television Awards in London last month) told this week of her experience of being a 'dine and dash' victim on a first date Piper, now a married mother of two, said she ran through 'ridiculous excuses' as she sat at the table, considering if the man might have suddenly become ill. She did not have a lot of money at the time, living on disability benefit after the acid attack, but ended up paying the £740 restaurant bill on her own. Piper said the man got back in touch with her years later after seeing her on Strictly Come Dancing, not to offer an apology but to joke: 'We must catch up!'
