Wade Starr learned the hard way to be wary of diners who ask to be seated near the restaurant's front door.
"They'll make a complaint about almost anything, whether it's the food or the server's attitude or whatever," Hung said. "And because we care about our reputation, we will respect the customer and try to find a way to make them happy about their meal, maybe by offering a different plate. They take advantage of the restaurant business because they know the manager will take care of them."The most brazen scam involves emotional manipulation, Hung said - rather than running away, the offenders stand and argue about faulty service."But one really stands out in my mind: A party of four scheduled a party; we brought out a birthday cake; we even took a picture for them. And then walked out on the tab," Hung said. "I even still have that photo."Starr said that over the years he's seen a wide range of dine- and-dash ploys, including the classic, "I left my wallet in my car," and leaving behind an insufficiently loaded gift card. One of the more creative approaches involves placing a to-go order with the bartender and disappearing into the bathroom while a confederate walks off with the bag. And if the would-be thieves are caught in the act, they can claim it was an honest mistake and try to talk their way out of it.Ditto for gift card users and people at patio tables, he and other metro area restaurateurs said. Even birthday parties have their risks.Lest it seem that restaurants are powerless to fight back, Starr said some are starting to increase their security by putting valets at the door and equipping staff with radio earplugs for quick communication."Once in a while you have those kinds of customers," Hung said. "The other 99.9 percent are very, very good.""Usually it's the sort of crime we see reported at restaurants like IHOP," Stewart said. "And it's not the sort of thing we would turn over to an investigative unit."Higher-priced restaurants also see their own share of the criminal element. But reflecting Stewart's observations, managers of some restaurants such as the Coach House and Rococo said they've never served diners who flouted the law. And those who were willing to discuss their experiences were cautious about somehow implicating the rest of their upstanding clientele."Like that one case where they were sitting by the front door, if we would have had key people in place they wouldn't have been able to skip out on the bill," Starr said.Hung and others said the local dine-out industry has been strong enough in Oklahoma for them to make it through the recession in good shape. That any of their customers would feel the need to steal confounds restaurant managers. And even worse, so many thefts are premeditated with huge bills for the best dishes - more of a major heist than a simple crime of opportunity.Brittany Leemaster, director of private events and marketing at Mickey Mantle's Steakhouse, said cases of running from the check occur only once or twice a year at her operation. Drinks are preferred targets for theft because bars tend to be more crowded and distracting than dining room areas, she said."Dine and dash" is shorthand for what police refer to as theft of service in many cities across the country or defrauding an innkeeper locally, Oklahoma City Police Capt. Patrick Stewart said. Stewart said the crime of skipping out on a restaurant bill is rarely reported because the restaurant operator doesn't want to make a big fuss in front of the other diners. And in the few cases where a suspect could be easily identified, only 27 tickets were issued and filed in the court system over the last 12 months, Municipal Courts Director Stacey Davis said."Just recently a party of six insisted on sitting by the front door," said Starr, manager of the Deep Fork Grill. "All six of them ordered, ate, waited until the restaurant got full and no one was paying attention, and then they ran out."
"Like that one case where they were sitting by the front door, if we would have had key people in place they wouldn't have been able to skip out on the bill," Starr said.
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