Seafood restaurant is forced to bring in ‘dine and dash’ defence after ‘another couple flees’ after scoffing on £170 oysters

A restaurant has been forced to introduce a new ‘eating and running’ defense after another couple were accused of scoffing at oysters and running away without paying their £170 bill.

Customers of Relentless – Steak and Lobster House in Portsmouth, Hampshire, now have to pre-pay for their food in a bid to avoid this brazen crime.

The company’s owner, Scott Matthews, 39, felt his hand was being forced after several incidents, including one in which a group collected an £800 note before fleeing.

Last week he had to brutally call the police after two men feasted on oysters and scallops – revealing a £170 note.

Mr Matthews said the pair arrived at lunch on January 29, posing as electricians, and began ordering drinks.

He claimed staff had ‘deliberately circumvented’ the pre-payment system by ordering and paying for £130 worth of food, knowing that staff did not request payment for additional requests until the end of the meal.

But then they proceeded to order several more rounds of spirits, shots, oysters and scallops – which amounted to another £170 – before they allegedly weren’t satisfied with that.

Mr Matthews said after ordering their last round the pair said they had a cigarette outside before getting back into their van and driving away.

Customers of Relentless – Steak and Lobster House in Portsmouth, Hampshire, now have to pre-pay for their food to prevent crime

The owner, who started the business 20 years ago, said: ‘They ordered two rounds of drinks, shots, lots of oysters and scallops.

‘The waiter realized they were gone in about three minutes, the chef came out and when he came out you could see them speeding away in the van. They shouldn’t have been driving while drunk.

‘As a business you have to get hit on the jaw for this, but at the end of the day it’s someone’s daily wage.

‘As a small, independent business owner I find this incredibly discouraging. Events like this don’t just impact the bottom line; It also affects real people who work hard every day.’

Mr Matthews said this was not their first attack as the Port Solent location had previously been called a ‘dining and dodging hotspot’.

The owner of the restaurant believes they are being targeted because they are surrounded by chain restaurants, so people often think they must be too.

He said the highest invoice rejected was £800, which triggered the new pre-payment system.

But Mr Matthews said customers did not quite understand the policy and it was costing them huge amounts of revenue.

The company’s owner, Scott Matthews, said the couple, who were reported to the police, ‘deliberately circumvented’ the pre-payment system by ordering multiple drinks and food.

The latest incident has been reported to police but Mr Matthews is urging thieves to come forward and pay their bills before escalating matters

He added: ‘We’ve had a lot of problems in the past. At one point they said it was a popular spot for eating and snacking. It’s just annoying that this happens all the time.

‘We lose so much income because we have to pay down payment, it’s incredible. Nobody wants to pay up front, but we need to protect our business.

‘Those who do this are not normal hard-working people. A different customer base. You can’t discriminate against anyone, so we pay everyone upfront.

‘This harms both us and the customer. This is just a nightmare. Hospitality is very difficult right now, I’m sure everyone is aware of that. ‘This is just another blow for us.’

The latest incident has been reported to police, but Mr Matthews is urging thieves to come forward and pay their bills before escalating matters.

Hampshire Constabulary said: ‘On Thursday 29 January we received a report of two men leaving a restaurant on The Boardwalk in Paulsgrove without paying.

‘An investigation has been launched, the investigation continues. ‘No arrests have been made at this time.’