Hunt for dine and dashers who fled family-run Chinese restaurant without paying (2025)

A family-run restaurant has been left ‘saddened’ after two customers ‘ran out without paying their bill’ in Scotland.

Jade Palace Chinese restaurant in Hamilton, outside Glasgow, was allegedly hit by dine-and-dashers at 3.45pm last Friday.

Praised for its buffets in Tripadvisor reviews, Jade Palace sells beef curries or chicken balls for £8.20.

But it seemed too steep a price for a duo accused of bailing on their bill. The pair have not yet been identified.

In a statement on Facebook, the restaurant said: ‘We appreciate times are hard however we are a small family business, we still have to pay our bills, staff wages and stock.

‘Please don’t come take advantage of us or any other small business’s as this is NOT acceptable at all.

‘Lucky for us some genuine people have come forward and passed on their details. We also have CCTV footage.

‘This is not the type of post that we would have liked to share however we have a 0 tolerance policy for the safety of our staff and our small business.

‘I hope you do the right thing & come forward to pay otherwise we will have to pass on your details to the police & notify all restaurants in the area of your non paying tactics.’

Nearly a third of hospitality businesses say they saw a rise in ‘dine and dash’ incidents last year.

One in 20 people admitted to walking out without paying for a meal in a 2018 survey.

A Chinese restaurant in Hillingdon, London, thought they’d lost £80 when two women sped away in a car without settling their bill in March.

Staff from Pangs had chased them outside, but the car sped off with its door ajar while one man was still holding it open.

More than a week later, the women’s mother came to pay and say sorry, the restaurant claimed.

Pangs said: ‘Just before closing I had an unexpected visit from the mother of the two ladies from the incident on 23 March 2025.

‘She apologised for appalling behaviour of her two daughters running out without paying for their meal and nearly running me over. She settled the bill and left.’

Metro has contacted police for comment.

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