Latest news with #PhilSimpson
The Sun
10 hours ago
- The Sun
Watch moment laughing dine & dashers run away from restaurant after wracking up $200 bill gorging on shrimp & lobster
THIS is the shocking moment a trio of giggling dine and dashers fleece $200 from a restaurant after munching down on shrimp and lobster. Appalling CCTV footage showed the heartless robbers running away without paying as they laughed like children - sending disgusted social media users into a rage. 3 3 3 The perpetrators took the free meal from local restaurant Phlavz Bar & Grille in University Village, Chicago - after racking up an immense $200 bill. In the upsetting clip, the cruel group can be seen eating near the corner of the outdoor seating area. One tall man is seen making a dash first, before two women follow behind him. The third woman appears to hesitate, but quickly makes a run for it when she realises what is happening. Co-owner of the local business Andrew Bonsu told ABC7: "It's actually disappointing, very disappointing to see that from the community we actually serve. "We pour into the community." The business's other co-owner Phil Simpson emphasised the damage done, saying: "The young lady that was serving that table, she's got kids at home. "She gets a percentage of that tip. "She worked hard to serve that table. They had a lot of food." He added: "We are a small business, and you see this happen so often to different small businesses throughout the city, and you have to do something." The pair took action by posting the group's moronic behaviour to social media. And it didn't take long for the online manhunt to identify the brazen trio. Simpson said that since the insensitive act, he was actually now in contact with one of the thieves. He added that they actually offered to pay the bill after realising how stupid they had been. But he said this was not the first instance of a dine-and-dash happening at his restaurant. He emphasised that his business was struggling to keep up with the costs of goods and services going up - and soulless robberies like these were not helping. The owners filed a police report to get the issue sorted out the "right way" rather than accept the thieves' belated cash. Simpson said: "They apologized. They sent someone to pay the bill, but I declined to accept it. "At that point, we are going to pursue this the right way." In March, a suspected thief accused of stealing nearly $1,000 in sushi and drinks from a restaurant chain was busted after his sneaky dine-and-dash tactics backfired. The suspect, who had been a thorn in the side of two Sushi Confidential locations in California, was caught after he tried to flee once again without paying.
Hindustan Times
14 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Trio dines and dashes on $200 bill at Chicago restaurant; owners reject payment and file police report instead
A Chicago restaurant is speaking out after a group of three individuals dined and dashed, leaving behind a $200 tab for shrimp and lobster and a trail of disappointment. The incident, which occurred at Phlavz, a Black-owned restaurant on the city's South Side, has stirred both local outrage and an online debate about dine-and-dash prevention. The act was caught on CCTV, showing the three suspects laughing as they quickly exited the restaurant without paying. 'It's actually disappointing, very disappointing to see that from the community we actually serve," said co-owner Andrew Bonsu. Also read: 'Visit Thailand, see Indians everywhere': Video of desis dancing faces backlash online Phlavz co-owner Phil Simpson added that the act had direct human consequences. 'The young lady that was serving that table, she's got kids at home," he said, highlighting the personal impact on staff members who rely on tips and fair service. Although the restaurant was able to identify the individuals involved, the owners declined to accept payment after the fact. Instead, they opted to 'do it the right way,' filing a police report for theft to hold the individuals accountable. According to the Illinois Restaurant Association, dine-and-dash incidents have increased in Chicago since the pandemic, putting added strain on an industry already grappling with inflation, staffing shortages, and safety concerns. The CCTV footage has since circulated online, where it has sparked widespread condemnation. Commenters expressed both anger and frustration, not only at the suspects but also at the growing trend of restaurant theft. 'I still don't understand why some restaurants don't make people pay upfront when they order. Problem solved,' one user wrote. Another echoed the sentiment: 'Pretty soon paying before you eat is going to be a thing and we can thank these people for it. Not that I mind because I intend to pay for my meal anyway. But I think that's the only way to stop it!'
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
Dine-and-dashers' appallingly smug act as they get up from restaurant table and run away without paying
A trio of dine-and-dashers smiled smugly as they fled a Chicago restaurant without paying for their $200 lunch. The group was caught on surveillance cameras running off from their outdoor table at Phlavz Bar and Grille in the Windy City on Monday. The suspects, a man and two women, can be seen siting at the table before the man quickly gets up and shuffles away from the restaurant. The women quickly follow him. A table of two seated near them watch the whole thing unfold, the video shows, as a server comes out and approaches the now-empty table. According to co-owner Andrew Bonsu, the thieving diner made off without paying their $200 tab for a shrimp and lobster dinner. 'It's actually disappointing, very disappointing to see that from the community we actually serve,' Bonsu told ABC7. 'We pour into the community.' Phlavz co-owner Phil Simpson added: ' The young lady that was serving that table, she's got kids at home. 'She gets a percentage of that tip. She worked hard to serve that table. They had a lot of food.' Simpson added that he had seen the dine-and-dash trend popping up across the city, and decided to share the clip of the three to the restaurant's social media accounts in hopes of curtailing it. Before long, online sleuths had managed to identify the three who Simpson said he has since been in contact with. 'They apologized. They sent someone to pay the bill, but I declined to accept it,' he said. 'At that point, we are going to pursue this the right way.' The owners decided to file a report for theft of labor or services with local police. 'For us to put our hard-earned money into this and set this up for our community, to see things like this happening, it's tasteless,' Bonsu added. 'It's important to at least let them know Phlavz is not going to be tolerating the dine-and-dash.' The president of the Illinois Restaurant Association, Sam Toia, told the outlet that dine-and-dash has been on the rise since the onset of the pandemic. 'We see this dine-and-dash really hurt the independent restaurants. It definitely ticks up in the summer months,' he said. Under Illinois law, theft of services under $500 constitutes a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year behind bars and a fine of $2,500. In March of this year, three brazen women skipped out on paying their $262.11 bill at trendy Chicago eatery Soul Vibez. Surveillance footage showed the women exited the restaurant one-by-one within just 30 seconds of their server stepping away from the table. Chicago police investigating the incident had their jobs made easier after the masterminds failed to conceal their identities. They provided their real names and phone numbers when adding themselves to the restaurant's waitlist before being seated, FOX32 reported. The alleged thieves then took to social media to boast about their crime, actually tagging Soul Vibez in posts thanking them for the 'free food.'
