People are already dine and dashing at Toronto restaurants

Restaurants and small businesses are already suffering financially due to the lockdown closure restrictions that lasted fifteen months, hundred of cancelled reservations within the first week of reopening, and are now dealing with ruthless dine and dashers. 

It is hard to imagine after the year Toronto's small businesses have been through that anyone would want to inflict further harm. 

The manager of Bluffers Restaurant at the Scarborough Bluffs, Bobby Kliori told blogTO that a recent incident of dine and dash occurred during a shift change.

A Moneris machine was brought to the diner's table and they just got up and left. There was no cash left on the table or Moneris transaction, and "they even looked back and said good-bye to the staff."

"The footage is not the clearest but you get an idea of the perpetrators. At least we can be on the lookout for these individuals so others in the industry don't have to suffer like I did," says Kliori. 

Chef Jordan Wagman unexpectedly reached out after seeing the Facebook post and generously covered the bill the diners dashed on.  

A similar disheartening situation happened at The Feathers Pub in the Upper Beaches.

Owner, Reid Pickering of The Feathers Pub told blogTO that the server dropped off the bill and asked if someone from the table could come into the restaurant, (masked, of course), to pay when they are ready. "The server quickly packaged up a Ritual order and once she came back outside, she realized the table had left."  

The pub is a well-known establishment in the neighbourhood and just celebrated its 40 year anniversary. The patio is small with only 4 tables and often frequented by regulars.

Most of the staff have been employed at the pub for over ten years and know the regular clientele quite well, however, they did not recognize the dashers. 

"They took a spot where another group could have dined and essentially made us pay for serving them," said Pickering.  

Both incidences occurred on Father's Day where many were eager to have a spot on the patio and restaurants are doing their best to accommodate. 

"It is just really frustrating and a really tough time for restaurants and bars right now, we're counting every penny," said Pickering.