Dine and Dash — They Thought They Could Outrun a Shark

They thought it was a good idea.

It turned out to be a very bad idea.

They thought they could outrun a Shark. But this Shark does not lose its prey.

Dine and Dash — It's Not Just About an Unpaid Bill

“Dine and dash” is the term commonly used when a person enters a restaurant, orders and consumes food and drinks, receives the benefit of the restaurant's services, and then deliberately leaves without paying the bill.

Some people regard it as a prank, or simply “walking out on a bill”. It is neither. In South Africa it can have serious legal consequences. Ordering a meal with no intention of paying for it is not a misunderstanding about money — it can be treated as fraud, because the restaurant served you on the strength of a promise you never meant to keep.

And as this one shows, the bill is often the smallest part of the story. What people do next, once they realise they are being followed, is where it gets dangerous.

The Chase Is On

The suspect made a sudden right turn in front of oncoming traffic — and the chase was on.

That one manoeuvre tells you everything about the risk calculation being made in the driver's seat. Cutting across oncoming traffic to get away from an unpaid bill means gambling with the lives of every other driver on that road, none of whom had anything to do with it.

Short Streets, Sharp Turns

Then the suspect started taking turns through the short streets, hoping to lose the bakkies.

It is the oldest idea there is: turn often enough and fast enough, and whoever is behind you will eventually guess wrong at a corner.

We lost sight for a moment.

But just a glimpse of it was enough.

We lost sight for a moment. A glimpse was enough.

Sports Mode

Now the chase was properly on. He was far ahead — and then the Shark moved into sports mode.

His minutes were numbered.

The vehicle was stopped and the occupants were brought out of it. A car that had been far ahead a few minutes earlier was now parked across the road with its door open.

A Very Bad Idea

Here is the part worth thinking about if you have ever heard somebody joke about doing a runner from a restaurant.

Sitting down to a meal you never meant to pay for is already a criminal matter. Getting into a car and fleeing makes it far worse. Every sudden turn across oncoming traffic, every short street taken too fast through a residential area, is a fresh danger to people who were simply going about their day — and it is conduct that can carry consequences of its own, quite apart from the bill.

Run from a bill, and you might end up with a much bigger problem than the bill.

• A restaurant is not a free buffet with a door at the end — leaving without paying is not a prank

• Ordering with no intention of paying can be treated as fraud

• Fleeing in a vehicle puts other road users in danger and makes a bad situation dramatically worse

• A glimpse is often enough. You will not lose everybody at a corner

To the Restaurants

Restaurant owners and their staff carry these losses quietly, and very often it is the waiter whose tips or wages absorb the shortfall. Nobody should have to accept that as a cost of doing business.

If it happens to you, report it — and do not let staff put themselves in harm's way trying to stop people at the door. Note the vehicle, the time and the direction of travel, and let the people whose job it is take it from there.

They thought they could outrun a Shark. This Shark does not lose its prey.