Anger as family of 10 'barged their way out of Welsh pub without paying bill'

North Wales Live

2 days ago

A family of ten "barged their way" out of a popular Welsh pub without paying their full bill, the landlady has claimed. Kelly Jollife, who runs the Greyhound Inn in Usk, said the family visited the pub on Sunday, July 27.
She alleged they each ordered a starter and a main course and consumed them completely before refusing to pay for anything other than the drinks.
Kelly claimed they then "barged past" the pub's chefs before departing in two vehicles. Kelly, 49, who has been the landlady at the pub for eight years, said she was horrified by the "brazen" act of "selfishness".
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'.", reports Wales Online.
"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.
"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. "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."