Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Three black patrons went viral Wednesday after fleeing a black-owned Chicago restaurant without paying a $200 tab that included some of the most expensive meals on the menu.
The theft occurred on Monday at the outdoor patio of Phlavz Bar and Grille in the Windy City and first went viral on Instagram.
Footage showed the trio sitting at a table, then running as a server approached with the check. Seconds later, the server finds an empty table and no payment.
“It’s actually disappointing—very disappointing to see that from the community we actually serve,” Phlavz co-owner Andrew Bonsu told ABC 7 in an interview. “We pour into the community.”
Fellow co-owner Phil Simpson echoed Bonsu’s sentiments, adding, “The young lady that was serving that table, she’s got kids at home. She gets a percentage of that tip.”
“She worked hard to serve that table. They had a lot of food,” he stated.
Simpson said that the restaurant managed to identify the three, who later apologized and offered to pay the $200 bill for shrimp and lobster.
“They apologized. They sent someone to pay the bill, but I declined to accept it,” he said. “At that point, we are going to pursue this the right way.”
Despite that, the owners decided not to file a theft report with the Chicago Police Department.
“For us to put our hard-earned money into this and set this up for our community, to see things like this happening, it’s tasteless,” Bonsu declared. “It’s important to at least let them know Phlavz is not going to be tolerating the dine-and-dash.”
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