Dishonest diners exposed on social media

Police are now investigating a couple that spent hundreds of dollars on food and drink before skipping out on the tab at a restaurant in Perth.

Klarke Macgill, a restaurant supervisor at a Swan Valley venue said the pair came in for a meal on Saturday just before 5:00pm.

"They ordered a few cocktails to start with and nothing suspicious about them whatsoever," Mr Macgill told the ABC.

He said the couple ordered cocktails, a bottle of sparkling wine, an entree and dessert.

The bill nearly $250.

He said they spent more than an hour at the restaurant.

But before the final dish was delivered, they fled.

He said the couple had given the restaurant that they were ok, coming and going before they finally absconded.

"They did that a few times and they came back in so it gave us the idea that they weren't the type of people to 'dine and dash'," Macgill told the ABC.

The restaurant posted CCTV footage of the couple on Facebook the following Monday before notifying police.

Macgill, who has been at the restaurant for four years, said he had never seen the couple before.

He said usually when this sort of thing happened, people had forgotten to pay the bill.

"Sometimes people do walk out and they have actually called in and paid the bill over the phone. When that happens, I've personally given them discounts for being honest," Mr Magill told the ABC. 

However, after sharing the couple’s image on social media, he was told by other venue proprietors that they had struck at their restaurants too.

One of them is Toby Evans who owns a restaurant at Hillarys Boat Harbour.

He said the pair had struck at his restaurant so he put up a warning on Facebook.

"I was hoping more people would be aware, it has all helped. It's built the case," Mr Evans told the ABC.

Leon Getler 11th April 2018