Patrons dine and dash after racking up bill of almost R10k at Durban restaurant!

Patrons dine and dash after racking up bill of almost R10k at Durban restaurant!

That takes a whole lot of confidence, not to mention cheekiness!

The inside of a restaurant near the beachfront
The inside of a restaurant near the beachfront/Facebook/@californiadreamingDBN

A venue with a picturesque view and great service is hard to find, but when you are a classy joint situated on the Durban beachfront, attracting clientele is easy. 

We can only assume that people who visit a restaurant to enjoy a meal and some drinks can afford to do so. 

But we have learnt that is not always the case. Well, at least for three patrons who recently visited California Dreaming restaurant situated on the Durban beachfront. 

Three patrons who visited the restaurant started off their visit by ordering drinks and continued by ordering a number of pricey items. 

"According to the receipt totalling R9,322, the group ordered a R3,900 bottle of Hennessey, portions of lamb chops for nearly R900 and Bisquit cognac for R1,500, among other items." (Times Live)

They arrived at 1:30pm and stayed until late, even hosting several guests before asking for the bill. 

One of them tried to pay with a card, which declined four times. 

Which led to him asking if he could pay via EFT. The manager on duty, Njabulo Mlambo, had to check in with the owner's brother if this would be allowed. 

After some time, the patron showed Mlambo the proof of payment on his phone. According to Mlambo, it looked legitimate. 

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When Mlambo asked his boss's brother if the payment came through, he said no. Which led Mlambo to ask the patrons to wait till the confirmation was received. 

Rightfully so, considering the large amount of the bill. 

But they saw this as an opportunity to run. The same guy who supposedly made payment asked to go to the toilet and this raised suspicion. Mlambo contacted the security company immediately. 

"They made a run for it. We managed to catch one guy.

“These guys were friendly with us, they looked like normal customers. I was very disappointed, we gave them good service.” (Times Live)

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