Bar owner used Facebook to catch patrons who ‘dined and dashed’

Have you heard of dining and dashing? It’s when a customer enjoys a meal and then skips out of the restaurant without paying. And some people drink and dash—that is, they order a bunch of drinks at the bar and then leave without paying.

Such was the case with five patrons at a bar called The Brass Tap in Greenfield, Wisconsin. The friendly, neighborhood bar was the scene of their drink and dash when they stopped in and racked up a $110 tab—only to then leave without paying a dime. Ouch. Not only does this do a disservice to the establishment itself, but stiffing the hardworking staff is just unconscionable.

Managers at The Brass Tap were equally offended, and they decided not to take the matter lying down. Instead, they posted about the crime on Facebook, asking their community to help them track down the offenders.

And it worked! The post was shared over 1,000 times, and as a result of the public shaming, the patrons all returned to pay their and apologize for their wrongdoing.

Sadly, dining and dashing seems to be a trend that is on the rise. Cities like New York City and London have noticed a marked increase “theft of service” cases, and smaller metropolitan areas also feel the squeeze when people run out without paying their bill. Essentially, if you dine and dash, the server is paying for you to steal from them, because they not only personally miss out on the tip, but they still have to tip out the bartender and bus boys at the end of the night.

At least this case has a happy ending. The Brass Tap is satisfied with the payment from the thieves, and they deleted their pictures from their page.

The Brass Tap is so grateful that their community came together to support them that they are offering all patrons 20 percent off their bill on Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Awesome!