"Two Customers Skip Out on a Bill Worth 45,000 Won"
"Evidence Prepared to Report the Case to Police"
The owner of a restaurant that has been open for only a month complained about being a victim of 'eating and running' (dine-and-dash).
On the 24th, a post titled "Dine-and-dash at a restaurant. Does anyone know these two men in the photo?" was uploaded on the online community 'Bobaedream.' Mr. A, who runs a thinly sliced pork belly restaurant in Geumjeong-gu, Busan, said, "It's been about a month since we opened, but we experienced the dine-and-dash that I had only heard about," adding, "We opened with difficulty despite our poor circumstances, and business is still slow, so this is very disheartening."
The incident occurred between 7:00 PM and 9:30 PM on the 19th. Mr. A said, "Two men who appeared to be in their 40s had a meal worth about 45,000 won, including pork belly, soju, beer, and cold noodles, but left without paying," and posted photos captured on CCTV. The CCTV footage showed a man with a bag fixated on his phone heading first toward the restaurant entrance. Then, the other man, who had been watching TV, also fixed his gaze outside and left the restaurant.
Mr. A said, "Watching the CCTV footage, they left separately, seemingly determined not to pay. Even though the staff was clearly waiting at the register, they never looked toward the counter and just left." He continued, "I want to believe in people's goodwill until the end, thinking it might have been a mistake, so I posted here. If anyone knows the two men in the photos, please pass on the message. If you left thinking the other person had paid, please come back and settle the bill," he emphasized.
Netizens who read the story responded with comments such as, "I hope more restaurants adopt a prepaid payment system," "Even if caught, they will probably say, 'We thought the other person paid,'" "They should be reported immediately," "It seems they never intended to pay," and "What kind of conscience do they have over 45,000 won?" Mr. A ultimately decided to report the incident to the police. He said, "Thank you for the interest and advice. I will prepare the evidence and file a report at the police station. Thank you."
Meanwhile, self-employed business owners have been struggling with a series of dine-and-dash incidents recently. According to data from the National Police Agency on dine-and-dash and fare evasion reports, 94,752 cases were reported in 2022. Except for 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, when 65,217 cases were reported, over 100,000 cases were recorded annually from 2016 to 2020. Under current law, dine-and-dash offenses can be punished with fines, detention, or penalties of up to 100,000 won. If habitual or intentional, fraud charges may apply, resulting in imprisonment of up to 10 years or fines up to 20 million won.
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