THE owner of a family-run Italian restaurant was “extremely disappointed” by how the police responded to reports of theft.
Cops were called to La Delizia, in Hastings, after a group who racked up a £146 bill refused to pay for it and left the restaurant.
On February 28, the culprits went to the restaurant, ordered several dishes and “ate everything” before complaining there was an issue with their food.
The group claimed that they found a “small piece of paper” in one of the dishes that they had already finished eating.
Owner Flanco Esposito apologised profusely and said he would remove the dish from their bill.
However the women reportedly refused to pay for anything they had consumed.
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While Flanco was desperately trying to prevent the group from leaving he called the police to report what he calls a theft.
He was “extremely disappointed” when he was told by police that the incident was a civil matter and something they had to “deal with themselves”.
Flanco told The Argus: “Of course, if we do something wrong then I would apologise and take it off the bill, but they were scammers.
“I come in at 7am and often finish at 10pm, working 10 to 15 hours a day.
“In my life, I always think the police have my back if I’m in trouble, but it looks criminals can get away with it.”
In a statement on Facebook the restaurant said: “The police did not initially acknowledge the seriousness of the situation or direct the PCSOs [to] the Old Town to attend our restaurant,” they said in a statement on social media.
“A further report to 101 after the incident has now been taken seriously and will be investigated further, but we are extremely disappointed by the lack of support while it was unfolding, as the situation could have continued to escalate.
“It was only because we had no option but to allow them to leave for fear of attack that it did not.”
Flanco runs two restaurants with his wife Rosa, brother Aldo, his wife Deborah and their daughter Emilia.
Flanco and Rosa run La Delizia in Hastings while brother Aldo heads up La Bella Vista in nearby St Leonards.
After watching the CCTV of the dine and dash, Aldo instantly recognised the group, claiming they had pulled the same nasty scam at his restaurant last year.
A spokeswoman for Sussex Police said: “We were called to a report of customers refusing to pay for their meal at a restaurant in East Parade, Hastings on 28 February.
“The initial report did not meet the threshold for an immediate police attendance. All calls to Sussex Police are assessed using a threat, harm and risk based process to ensure officers are prioritised for incidents where there is an immediate risk to people or a serious crime.
“We have contacted the restaurant staff and an investigation into an alleged theft and a public order offence is now underway. We are reviewing witness accounts and CCTV footage in order to identify those involved. “
Detective Insp Hannah Taylor-Jones, from the Sussex Police investigation team, said: “’Dine and dash’ incidents have a significant financial and emotional impact on businesses, and we take reports of this nature seriously.
“No business owners should have to deal with this type of behaviour.
“Our dedicated Business Crime Team works closely with the business community and victims to gather evidence, take appropriate action, and ensure offenders are held to account.”
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