Women who ‘sprinted’ away from pub without paying for meal say ‘plan’ was to call to pay later after ‘a personal emergency’ – and hit out at ‘homophobic and body-shaming abuse’ they received after being shamed on social media by the owner
- The two women have taken to social media to share they have settled their bill
- They claim they had to leave the gastro pub due to a ‘personal emergency’
Two women who ‘ran away without paying’ for a £56 meal at a gastropub with their children have said they were forced to leave because of a ‘personal emergency’.
The pair were named and shamed in a Facebook post by landlady Lisa McMaster who shared CCTV footage of the two leaving her pub, the Smithy Arms in Swinton, North Yorkshire.
In the post, Ms McMaster claimed the women told staff they would pay for their food at the bar after their meal.
But on a busy evening no one noticed as the couple slipped away from the pub until they were spotted sprinting through the car park.
Their distinctive white car, with a pink roof, was seen reversing away from its parking space and disappearing down the road. They were given a limited time to return a pay for their meals.
Ms McMaster wrote: ‘How nice of you to come for a meal and drinks and run without paying. Staying on a campsite near.’
The two women ate at the Smithy Arms in Swinton, North Yorkshire
The pictures of the two women were shared on social media by the pub owner in a bid to track them down
Their distinctive white car, with a pink roof, was seen reversing away from its parking space and disappearing down the road
But the duo have now been identified, having come forward themselves online to defend their actions, and to reassure people that their bill has now been settled.
They claim the incident has been ‘blown out of proportion’ and that what followed the social media post was a ‘homophobic and body-shaming witch hunt’.
Taking to Instagram, a since deleted post shared by an account with the username @frankandoliveofficial writes: ‘Usually I’d ignore ridiculous online hate, but this also involves my children so I’m just popping on to say that last night we had a delicious meal and experienced brilliant service at The Smithy Arms in Swinton, but sadly our visit was cut short and we had to dash – poor Frank didn’t even get to have his ice cream – due to a personal emergency.
‘Our plan was to call the pub asap to let them know the situation and then hurry back to sort the bill.
‘As we were camping, we realised once we got back that we had zero b***** reception and had to wait until this morning to contact the pub and clear the bill!
‘Anyway, long story short, all is well, the bill and generous tip have been paid. There are no hard feelings between myself and the lovely people at The Smithy Arms, yet the internet has gone nuts.
‘A misunderstanding that got enormously blown out of proportion, followed by a homophobic and body-shaming witch hunt. Beware the power of social media.’
The most recent ‘dine and dash’ Home Office figures reveal the Metropolitan Police recorded 12,610 incidents making off without paying offences in 2018.
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