A group of customers who left a restaurant in Spain without settling their bill of €402.80 (£347.50) has drawn attention after one of them left a negative review. The incident occurred at Mar d’Amura restaurant in Valencia, where 17 diners allegedly departed without paying their dues. One of the patrons criticized the service, food quality, and the establishment itself, describing it as one of the worst places they had ever visited.
According to Mar d’Amura, the group left the premises discreetly to avoid detection by the staff. The story was brought to light by the hospitality-focused Twitter account @soycamarero, triggering a wave of criticism labeling the diners as “shameless” and “scoundrels.” The restaurant’s management promptly responded to the negative review, thanking the customer for the feedback and publicly addressing the situation.
The owner of Mar d’Amura clarified that the customers not only left without settling the bill but also engaged in deceptive behavior. He claimed that one diner consumed a ribeye steak meal in its entirety, then complained about its quality and attempted to negotiate the price. The owner emphasized that the bill exceeded €350, indicating that the act of leaving without payment constituted theft rather than a minor offense. He warned that they would involve the authorities and share the incident on social media, as they possessed security camera footage.
Social media users expressed astonishment at how 17 individuals managed to leave unnoticed and criticized the group’s actions. Despite the initial situation, it was later reported that Mar d’Amura received payment through the Spanish payment service Bizum. This incident follows a similar case in the UK where a couple allegedly ran out on a £231.30 bill at The Halfway House in Brentwood, Essex, but one of them later returned to settle half of the amount.
General manager Deanne Perkins stated that the couple was captured on CCTV fleeing across the parking lot, and the police were informed of the incident. While one of the individuals returned to pay part of the bill, the whereabouts of the other remained unknown. Perkins mentioned uncertainty regarding the situation and emphasized the importance of addressing such behavior promptly.
