The pub’s landlady claimed the ‘family of ten’ walked out of the popular pub without paying a £320 bill
Kelly Joliffe, 49, has been the landlady at the pub for eight years. She says despite having experienced dine and dashers before, none have ever been this “brazen.”
The landlady of a popular Welsh pub claims a family of ten “barged their way” out of the establishment without paying their £320 bill. Kelly Jollife, who runs the Greyhound Inn in Usk, said the family visited the pub on Sunday, July 27.
She claimed they each ordered a starter and a main course and ate them in full before refusing to pay for anything other than the drinks.
Kelly claimed they then “barged past” the pub’s chefs before leaving in two cars. Kelly, 49, who has been the landlady at the pub for eight years, said she was appalled by the “brazen” act of “selfishness”. Read the biggest stories in Wales first by signing up to our daily newsletter here
Police have confirmed they are investigating an allegation of theft. Kelly said: “They looked at me as they were walking out as if to say, ‘you can’t do anything anyway so, tough’.
“When they first came in they were not particularly nice to begin with. I had explained to them it was table service but they kept insisting on coming up to the bar. That kind of thing. They were gonna do it their way.
“So they ordered starters, mains and ate all the starters, then half way through their mains the waiter went to check if everything was ok, and they said, ‘no it is all s**t. Everything is s**t. It is all just shocking’.
“Then the waiter said ‘do you want me to get the manager’ to which they said, ‘yes, but after we have finished’.
“They proceeded to eat everything. We had 150 people in house, and 140 of them left happy. Everybody, was happy.
Pictured are pub staff members showcasing the eatery’s popular Sunday lunches
“I was then called and I said ‘they are going to have to come and speak with me. I want full payment – they have eaten everything’.
“The waiter told them this and they replied with ‘no – we are not paying. We will pay for the drinks but we are not paying for the food’. This was obviously unacceptable.
“All of a sudden they started walking out. I went straight to the table with the card machine to say ‘you need to pay this bill’ – it was £328 worth.
“They put £44 on the table in cash, and walked out.
“I followed them down the path with some of my chefs as they are bigger than me, and one of the older guys in the family started fronting up the chefs.
Nestled in the Usk Valley, the Greyhound Inn is a traditional country pub.
“The chefs just said ‘look, you are an embarrassment, just pay the bill’.
“There was not a fist fight or anything, it was mainly verbal. As I was shouting ‘you need to pay your bill’ they got in the car and left the property.”
Kelly said she is in contact with Gwent Police regarding the allegation, and said there had been an overwhelming response on social media after she posted about the incident.
She said the post was aimed at “embarrassing” those allegedly involved, adding: “It is not the way to behave.”
She added: “But the response I had on Facebook was just phenomenal. Everybody is so supportive.”
A Gwent Police spokesperson said: “We’re investigating an allegation of theft in Usk Road, Llantrisant, which occurred around 3pm on Sunday 27 July.
“Officers are speaking to several people to establish the circumstances and enquiries continue.”