'Dine and dash was disrespectful' - restaurateur

The owner of a restaurant in Lincolnshire has claimed he has been left to cover the cost of a £306 meal after six diners left in a "dine and dash" incident.

Flavio Serra, who runs the Tinels Seafood & Grill in Grantham, said the customers had eaten steaks and drank alcohol before they left without paying on Friday.

Mr Serra told the BBC: "It's disrespectful. It's not nice at all, especially for a small business like we are. Every penny counts."

Lincolnshire Police said it is investigating a report of theft and has appealed for witnesses.

Mr Serra, who is originally from Portugal, said the group had booked their meal in advance via phone and had pre-ordered some of their dishes.

He admitted the group had complained about one of the dishes but had offered a replacement which was turned down.

Later in the evening, a waitress informed Mr Serra the group had left without paying the £306 bill but had left a tip.

"I spent almost an hour cooking, preparing, marinating all the steaks they had, all the starters they had, all the food they ate," he said

"I had to pay for the product, I have to pay for the staff. And they just walk out? It's disrespectful."

Mr Serra claims he tried to contact the group via a phone number from the booking but was unsuccessful.

The customer later made contact via text messages, which have been seen by the BBC, where Mr Serra told them he would inform the police.

A response read: "We paid what it was worth. We gave £20 to the waiter." The message also described the food using a four-letter swear word.

Mr Serra said he believed the group never intended to pay: "It was not an accident. They ate everything and left clean plates.

"It's taking advantage of small places and that's not good."

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