It was a case of instant karma for two young French women who tried to get away without paying for £38 worth of food at a popular Italian restaurant, when the owner arrived at their B&B
Two tourists who risked a dine and dash attempt were brought to justice after a savvy Italian restaurant owner used the power of social media to track them down. Italian-based media platform Cronache Maceratesi reports that Michela Malatini, the owner of the I Due Re pizzeria in Civitanova Marche, published CCTV images of the cheeky pair to the restaurant’s Facebook page and used reader comments to identify them.
She explained that the two tourists, both aged around 30, ate two pizzas and drank two drinks each, running up a bill of €44 (about £38.).
But when it came time to pay, the two friends simply got up and walked out of the pizzeria: “I saw that the table was empty and waited to make sure they hadn’t gone to the bathroom,” Michela told reporters.
The furious restaurateur captured an image of the miscreants from the restaurant’s CCTV cameras and published it to the popular pizza joint’s Facebook page.
She said that so many customers had run off without paying that she had developed a sixth sense for who might try to duck out on their bill, and had created her own method of enforcing justice.
Michela explained: “It happens often. The police? I don’t call them. I always find the customers, I have my own method.”
“I had seen them both and knew where they were going,” she added. “I posted a message on Facebook and, thanks to some comments, I was able to find them.”
A few hours after posting her message, Michela received a reply that said: “Found! I’m at the B&B.”
She got in contact with the B&B’s manager and made her way there, ready to present the unsuspecting tourists with their bill as soon as they woke up.
“They didn’t even understand what was going on, but they recognised me and took out their wallets,” she said.
“It’s more of a story to smile about. It happens once or twice a week,” Michela added. “I’ve always dealt with it this way; I’ve never called the police.
“Thanks to the cameras, I can find those who run away, contact them and tell them I’ll be waiting for them to settle the bill, showing them the security video. The next day, they all come back,” she explained with a laugh.
She said that it’s the principle of the thing, rather than the loss of the €44. “It’s not so much about the money,” she said.
“It’s a large beach club with 70 employees, and €44 doesn’t make a difference. But if people start thinking that they can come and eat without paying, it becomes a problem.”