By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-12-31 15:46:52 | Updated at 2025-01-07 21:49:30
1 week ago
A family ran out on a $428 check before almost running over their waiter in a dine and dash scam.
The party of ten racked up the tab at Miami's La Camaronera on Friday.
Surveillance footage captured them fleeing through the car park, with one woman pushing a baby in a stroller.
As they piled into their SUV, their waiter came running out to inform they they hadn't paid.
But as he approached, the vehicle sped up almost ploughing into and shunting him into oncoming traffic passing on nearby Flagler Street.
'You see him pulling off and the driver driving off on Flagler and my employee had to kind of jump off, putting his life in danger,' restaurant owner David Garcia told WSVN.
'Absolutely they saw him, they wouldn't have speeded out of this parking lot the way that they did.'
A family ran out on a $428 check before almost running over their waiter in a dine and dash scam
A waiter at La Camaronera in Miami noticed they had failed to pay and tried to pursue them
However, the family had piled into their SUV and began making a break for it, almost running over the waiter in the process
Garcia said that another family member not present for the meal returned to settle the check on Monday after he shamed the scammers on social media.
'No restaurant should go through what we went through that day and what my employee went through. That employee of mine had a baby three days before,' he added.
However, he said he has decided to take mercy on the customers and decided not to press any charges since the check was settled.
But he added he will not hesitate to expose anyone else thinking of pulling a similar stunt.
'If anybody thinks about doing it, they're gonna get caught,' Garcia said.
Fellow Florida restaurateur Ken Brackins revealed last year how he has begun publicly shaming dine and dashers.
He explained that since he began sharing footage of suspects on social media, he has managed to clamp down on incidents.
Since its implementation, Brackins said he has caught nearly a dozen 'dine and dashers' who have eventually paid their bill.
Owner David Garcia said that another family member not present for the meal returned to settle the check on Monday after he shamed the scammers on social media
Garcia has chosen not to press charges as a gesture of goodwill but warned others against pulling a similar stunt
'We've shared approximately 10 dine and dash posts. Nine of the 10 have resulted in the culprits coming in and settling their tabs,' Brackins told Dailymail.com.
'But I would say that 100% of them that come back and pay, don't tip.
'And they also want to call in a payment with a credit card. But I make them come in. They always seem to have an excuse for why they forgot to pay.'
