PUB APOLOGISES AFTER WRONGLY ACCUSING FAMILY OF 'DINE AND DASH' AFTER ORDERING £27 STEAKS

A pub landlord has issued a grovelling apology after wrongly accusing an innocent family of a "dine and dash" after ordering £27 steaks.

Bar staff at Horse and Jockey in Tideswell accused the family of slipping away after consuming two £27 10oz ribeye steaks and Derbyshire gammon steaks, costing £15.25.

Staff claimed they were spotted on CCTV leaving the pub without settling the bill, which led to a furious reaction from John Watson, the bar's landlord. However he's since been forced to apologise after he embarrassingly realised the family had actually paid for their meal after an "honest mistake" from a staff member.

He told MailOnline: 'We want to sincerely apologise to the people involved because we have now learnt that they did in fact pay for their meal.

"One member of staff took the group's order and a second member of staff took payment, however he did not run the payment through the till system. It meant that it looked as though they had left without paying when they had.

"There was no dishonesty involved from our staff, it was an honest mistake but we have dismissed the member of staff responsible for the error.

"The people involved have been in touch with the pub. I'm yet to speak to them but when I do I will apologise for our mistake."

Mr Watson previously said it was "shocking behaviour" from the family, telling the MailOnline: "We're a family pub and our staff work really hard to provide a good service and really good food and drink for our guests. The hospitality industry is only just getting back on its feet and we've come off the back of a difficult winter so losing £150 in revenue really matters to us, as it would to any pub in the country.

"I don't know how people have the audacity to act that way, it's shocking behaviour. We haven't had anything like this before but it seems to be happening more often across the country."

The Mirror previously told how a serial "dine and dash" couple were jailed after they gorged themselves on more than £1,000 worth of food and drink during a dine-and-dash spree. Bernard McDonagh, 41, was sentenced to eight months and his wife Ann, 39, was sentenced to 12 months in prison.

The couple, from Port Talbot, pleaded guilty to failing to pay restaurant bills between August 2023 and April 2024 at Swansea Magistrates' Court. Ann McDonagh also admitted thefts from two supermarkets and was sentenced to 12 months in prison, while her husband was given eight months.

2024-07-04T07:34:52Z dg43tfdfdgfd