Mollie Birch said she was ‘publicly humiliated’ by the incident in Liverpool and wants to clear her nameChristopher Megrath Life reporter and Miranda Pell Search and Discover Writer
17:15, 25 Feb 2026Updated 21:26, 25 Feb 2026
Mollie says she has been publicly humiliated(Image: Mollie Birch / ECHO)
A woman has made an attempt to clear her name after being accused of not paying for her meal at a Liverpool restaurant. Mollie Birch said she was ‘publicly humiliated’ by the incident.
Mollie went for dinner alone at Rancho Steakhouse, Waterloo, Liverpool, on February 21, at a 6.20pm. She ordered Mexican dippers to start, followed by a ribeye steak with chips for her main course, alongside three pornstar martinis and a Kopparberg, bringing the total bill to £59.25, Liverpool Echo reports.
After leaving at around 8pm, she later noticed a man coming toward her at Waterloo Station as she waited to go home to Bootle. The man, who was a member of the restaurant staff, filmed her. The video of the 28-year-old, appearing sheepish and waiting to go home, has been seen by more than 1m people.
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Mollie, who said she ‘didn’t realise’ the man was from the restaurant, said she woke up the next morning to find that a video of her at the station was spreading across social media.
In the clip, a man can be heard saying: “Not paying the money for the food. Can you come back, please?”
Mollie told the Liverpool Echo that she had been publicly humiliated(Image: Mollie Birch / ECHO)
She stated while she did notice the man at the station, she claims she was unaware that she was being filmed and believed he was simply talking on his phone. It wasn’t until she saw the video that she realised she had been accused of leaving without paying her bill.
Mollie, who claims she paid the full bill with cash before leaving and wants her name to be cleared, said: “I look dead uncomfortable. I was shocked. It’s embarrassing. I’ve had so many cruel comments which is horrible. They’ve made an absolute scene of me. I’ve been publicly humiliated.”
Mollie told the Echo she had dined at the restaurant once before and had not experienced any issues with the staff, service or payment.
Rancho Steakhouse has accused a woman of dining and dashing on Saturday 21 February(Image: Google Maps)
Rancho Steakhouse’s restaurant manager, Navin Thapa, told the ECHO Mollie was seated near a staff member who thought she began acting suspiciously towards the end of her meal, claiming she was staying on her phone to avoid acknowledging the bill.
When the staff had their backs turned, they say Mollie allegedly left without paying. Navin said: “She just ran away. We said ‘you haven’t paid your bill’ and she got up and left. We chased after her to Waterloo station and told her she had an unpaid bill and that we needed to go back.”
CCTV footage seen by the ECHO shows Mollie leaving the restaurant before beginning to run down the street. Two staff members follow shortly after to catch up with her. Mollie claims she was running for the train.
Rancho Steakhouse in Liverpool(Image: Liverpool ECHO)
Navin says the reason staff posted the video circulating on social media was in a bid to “warn” other restaurants of the alleged dine and dashing behaviour.
He said: “We wanted to warn other restaurants as a precaution which is why we posted the video. We never want to treat any customer like that but we can’t allow people to not pay their bill.” Both parties have logged complaints with Merseyside Police.
A Merseyside Police spokesperson said: “We can confirm that officers were called to South Road in Waterloo at 8.25pm on Saturday 21 February following reports of an allegation of making off without payment from a local restaurant. Enquiries are ongoing in relation to this allegation, and a counter-allegation of harassment.
“We would always ask that crimes are reported directly to police, and that businesses or individuals do not attempt to pursue suspects themselves. Circulating and sharing images and/or videos of alleged offences online, especially when these have not been shared with police, can jeopardise investigations and cause unnecessary distress.”
The force urged anyone with information on business crime in their area to contact Merseyside Police social media desk using X or Facebook @MerPolCC.
They added: “You can also report information via our website: https://www.merseyside.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/ or by calling 101. Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their website here: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/forms/give-information-anonymously.”