Shocking moment four customers dine and dash at Melbourne café – only to return to pick up a phone they left and walk out on the bill again
Cafe workers were left dumbfounded after two customers from a group of alleged dine-and-dashers came back to ask for their missing phone, only to walk out on the same bill a second time.
In an effort to warn other nearby venues, the cafe, in inner Melbourne, has since posted flyers showing the young man and woman wearing tracksuits after the pair allegedly left without paying for their meal on August 24.
‘Four customers ate and drank at our cafe and refused to pay,’ the flyer states.
‘They may have done the same at other local businesses. We’re sharing these photos to warn nearby businesses and customers.’
A worker at the cafe, on Bellair Street, told News.com.au the group of four sat at one of the cafe’s outdoor tables and ate like kings.
They ordered five meals between them, racking up a bill of over $150.
On top of that, the worker claimed one of the diners was ‘rude’ and repeatedly yelled ‘oi, oi’ to get the attention of staff.
She said she would have been able to overlook the poor manners if it weren’t for the group running off on their bill.
One woman (pictured wearing grey) from a group of four who allegedly walked out on a $150 cafe bill returned to the venue to demand her lost phone
A worker from the cafe chased after the woman and man who was with her (above) as they walked out a second time, still allegedly without paying
‘We brought them their food and the next thing we knew, we looked up and they’d gone. We were like, ”Oh God”, because it was more than $150,’ the worker said.
The group had been in such a rush that one had left their phone behind.
The cafe workers quickly seized it and hid it behind the counter in the hope the group would have to return and pay for their meals.
One of the four called the cafe a short time later to ask about the device, and the worker said they could have it back, but only once they settled their bill.
CCTV from inside the cafe showed two of the group return to the venue as staff were preparing to close up about 3.30pm.
The man sat outside the cafe while a woman went inside and asked to have her phone back.
A standoff then unfolded when the woman claimed she couldn’t pay without her phone.
‘You can’t hold my phone like that,’ she scolded the staff member.
Workers tried to withhold the woman’s (above) phone until she paid but she snatched it from behind the register
Workers have posted flyers of the group (above) to warn other businesses
‘Can I get my phone? I don’t have nothing (to pay with) on me.’
The pair continued to argue before the man walked inside, seemingly giving the woman confidence.
When staff looked away for a moment, she reached back behind the counter and took the phone from next to the till, then made a beeline for the door.
One female worker immediately followed and grabbed onto the man’s arm while saying, ‘Hello ma’am, you forgot to pay.’
Another worker filmed them using her own phone.
The cafe worker said she probably shouldn’t have chased after them but was acting on the spur of the moment.
‘I thought, I have a responsibility to get the money, I didn’t think too much, but it was quite a lot of money and I would have felt terrible if I didn’t do anything,’ she said.
‘Thinking back, grabbing him probably was not very smart, not the smartest thing. Because you don’t know if they’re carrying something and could hurt you.’
The man managed to pull his arm free and the pair fled the cafe, again.
The bill remains unpaid.
The staff member, who’s spent more than three years at the venue, said she’d never seen such a brazen alleged robbery and believed it was ‘planned’.
The Daily Mail has contacted Victoria Police for comment.
