Vancouver restaurants sound alarm over alleged serial dine and dasher

Some restaurant owners in downtown Vancouver are calling out a man they say has been racking up bills in the hundreds of dollars, then dashing.

Dining out comes at a cost, but some Vancouver restaurants say they’ve been dealing with one man who is unwilling to pay.

Robbie Kane, the owner of Cafe Medina in downtown Vancouver, told CTV News a man came into the restaurant just before closing on Sept. 10.

“(He) asked where the bathroom was and ordered the most expensive thing on the menu, ate part of it, and disappeared,” said Kane.

He said the man left the restaurant without paying his $65 bill.

“It’s unfortunate that someone, instead of being a productive citizen, is choosing to take advantage of people who are working hard and trying to do things the right way,” Kane said.

However, he told CTV News Cafe Medina isn’t the only Vancouver restaurant impacted by this man. Kane said he was forwarded a social media post from Brix and Mortar in Yaletown regarding another dine and dash incident. He showed it to his employee.

“The manager who dealt with him was 99 per cent sure that it was the same person,” Kane said.

CTV News reached out to Brix and Mortar, who also caught the man on their security cameras. In a statement, the restaurant said, in part:

“He waited for five minutes before approaching the host and asking her if it was OK if stepped off the patio for a quick smoke before returning. He then walked out about six steps and lit a cigarette. Ten seconds later, when the host had some other guests speaking with her, he abruptly turned 180 degrees and walked quickly away. We pursued when we realized he was gone, but we were too late.”

The restaurant added the man left without paying his $300 bill.

The restaurants involved weren’t the only ones these incidents affected. One woman named Cate said the dine and dasher used her phone number to make reservations that he never paid for. She said she does not know the man and doesn’t live in Vancouver. She lives in Calgary.

She told CTV News she is nervous to visit Vancouver in the future.

“I have anxiety about, you know, going to a restaurant in Vancouver and being blacklisted or turned down because my number has been used in this dining scam,” she said.

CTV reached out to the Vancouver Police Department but did not receive a response.

Kane’s message to the man in the security footage was simple: “Be a good human.”