Have you ever "done a runner"...?

el punal · Mar 3, 2017

Doing a runner? When I was in Newcastle for the Albion game last August I witnessed the classic 'doing a runner' gone wrong.
Three of us were just about to go into a massive Chinese buffet style restaurant (basically eat as much as you like). A couple, a bloke and a girl, came tearing out of the establishment, presumably having not paid, and were chased by one of the staff. The staff member was pretty swift and tripped the bloke up fifty yards from the restaurant. Our 'runner' went down like sack of spuds and promptly got the biggest shoeing of his life.

Perhaps he and his girlfriend should have gone for an Indian instead.

Harry Wilson's tackle · Mar 3, 2017

Mmmm..... 1976, the pizza place by Clock Tower. Probably after watching The Molesters or the Piranhas at the Alhambra. The absurd thing is we went there a week later and did it again. Funnily enough, my partner in crime is my longest standing old mate, now a respectable old b'stard like me. At the same sort of time, Jimmy Pursey invited an acquaintace of ours, Judy from Northampton, to lunch in Brighton the day after a gig, then made her do a runner. She was not especially happy about that :lolol:

Shropshire Seagull · Mar 4, 2017

Only the once, out of a taxi ....

Brighton to Saltdean, me and 3 mates, not a bean left between us from the night out.

Just 'ere mate ....
#doors open and run like feck.

OzMike · Mar 4, 2017

Another for the Wimpey at East Street, the service counter was all the way down the other end of the shop and if you got a table by the door it was dead easy and we did it several times.
Not proud of it, but being from a one parent family with 11 kids it was sometimetimes nice to have a meal, regardless of the concequences.
I once made a booking at a Chinese rsteraunt in Preston Street and when I arrived for said appointment I was informed that there was no such booking made, which rather pissed me off.
They said that we could wait at the bar till a table comes free, 3 rounds of drinks later, still no table.
We got up to leave as it was getting on and appetite was gone and the barman enquired about the bar bill, I told him that he could sue me and we walked out.

OzMike · Mar 4, 2017

Shropshire Seagull said:
Only the once, out of a taxi ....

Brighton to Saltdean, me and 3 mates, not a bean left between us from the night out.

Just 'ere mate ....
#doors open and run like feck.

Back in the day, after a night out in Brighton I used to get a taxi home and it always came to about a fiver, yes a long time ago.
One night I got into a cab and went home, when we pulled up the driver asked for 20 quid.
I tossed him a fiver and told him to keep the change, robbing basted.

OzMike · Mar 4, 2017

I went to a resteraunt here a couple of years ago and paid with a card and left.
When I got home I got a call from them saying that I had under paid and when I checked they were right, the bill was for $110.00 and they only took $11.00
Obviously put the decimal point in the wrong place, I told them that the meal wasn't that special, which it wasn't and to be more diligent next time.
Being self employed for many years you learn that you pay for your mistakes, same scenario as far as I'm concerned.

W.C. · Mar 4, 2017

Gwylan said:
I've done the opposite ... twice.

I've stayed at a hotel, had a meal and when settling the bill for the stay discovered when I got home that I hadn't been charged for the meal (I don't check the bill when settling as that looks a bit chavvy). I had to send both hotels a cheque to cover the cost of the meals.

I don't have a chequebook now so I don't know what I'd do if it happened again

That just reminded me of doing the same thing in Cyprus. Me and then gf had had to change hotels (to a far superior one, result) and the company offered us a meal as recompense. So, we had a nice meal but then were under charged. Noticed the next day I think so went back and told the owner who was incredibly grateful and gave us free drinks or something. Win, win, win.

McTavish · Mar 4, 2017

Westdene Seagull said:
Never done it. Partly because I used to work as a barman at the Black Lion Harvester and the waiting staff had to cover any runners from their wages.

I worked as a waiter in a restaurant in Convent Garden and each waiter carried their own cash and had to make their own change and so was responsible for the cost of any runners. This was a very busy restaurant with outdoor tables on the Piazza so there was always a risk of runners. As a waiter, highly-motivated by fear of loss of cash, I could smell a runner and in over a year only one table got away from me although I once didn't catch someone until they were on the platform at Leicester Square Underground.

Anyone deliberately doing a runner is a straightforward thief.

stugbhafc1 · Mar 4, 2017

Did once on holiday in Menorca had a few drinks in fairly busy bar, service was pretty poor had to wait quite a while to get a drink and after asking for the bill a few times the misses got up walked out while I went to the toilet then i followed her out, to top it all saw a woman who was there with her family copping off with one of the waiters round by the toilets

Return of the Rev · Mar 4, 2017

Morning of the Newcastle away 79 we arrived at whitley bay at 7am and piled into a cafe on mass! The guy was with bit overrun with around 40 fry ups,strangely he took no payment,as we were finishing up the owner came back to the cafe after leaving his mate to watch over a very quiet cafe and his initial joy of a full cafe turned sour when he opened the till. Still don't know why he did all the cooking but didn't take the cash. Not quite a runner as we all left in our own time

TheJasperCo · Mar 4, 2017

NooBHA said:
I love that terminology

I first heard it watching Judge Judy . Even she laughed when she heard what it was called and she is a right miserable ****er.

Southern Scouse · Mar 4, 2017

At a certain semi final at Highbury in 1983, my mate and I got off of at the wrong tube. So we hoped in a black cab and when we got in the crowd. We both did a runner by getting out of either side of the cab! They have got their own back over the years tho.

Return of the Rev · Mar 4, 2017

OzMike said:
Back in the day, after a night out in Brighton I used to get a taxi home and it always came to about a fiver, yes a long time ago.
One night I got into a cab and went home, when we pulled up the driver asked for 20 quid.
I tossed him a fiver and told him to keep the change, robbing basted.

Daves cab was a standard £5 back to Peacehaven back in the day

mune ni kamome · Mar 4, 2017

The Indian in Ship St opposite TKMax was a well known place for runners back in the early 70's and good for a laugh watching them on Friday nights being chased down the road

Questions · Mar 4, 2017

Bulldog said:
I guess we were about 20 when 5 of us did a runner from a chinese by the Steyne in Worthing. Some 20 years later, most of the same group go into a new Chinese in Teville road.
The owner comes over and says - arrow boys, you grow up now, you no run away this time? That's when we recognised Charlie, the guy who owned the Steyne restaurant all those years ago.
We didn't run away and we did leave a decent tip but talk about your past catching up on you.

And I think I could name all 5 of you........ :lolol:

BNthree · Mar 8, 2017

Moshe Gariani said:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-39139784

This group took it to an extreme.

..

Someone got arrested:

http://elpais.com/elpais/2017/03/07/inenglish/1488897428_050155.html

Though doubt the restaurateur will get their money.

Ⓩ-Ⓐ-Ⓜ-Ⓞ-Ⓡ-Ⓐ · Mar 8, 2017

My mates and I once did a runner from a taxi back to East London Uni in Docklands after a night out in central. I was half asleep and didn't know what was going on when they started talking about Paula Radcliffe and did a runner. I followed suit but left my phone in the back of the cab. When I woke up the next morning called up Orange to cancel it but it had already had over £200 calls to Bangladesh - I guess the cabby got the last laugh and taught me a lesson!

Tom Hark Preston Park · Mar 8, 2017

BNthree said:
Someone got arrested:

http://elpais.com/elpais/2017/03/07/inenglish/1488897428_050155.html

Though doubt the restaurateur will get their money.

Equally doubt that any restaurant owners in the region will be taking any more bookings for large parties of Eastern Europeans anytime soon :lol:

Weststander · Mar 11, 2017

Harry Wilson's tackle said:
Mmmm..... 1976, the pizza place by Clock Tower. Probably after watching The Molesters or the Piranhas at the Alhambra. The absurd thing is we went there a week later and did it again. Funnily enough, my partner in crime is my longest standing old mate, now a respectable old b'stard like me. At the same sort of time, Jimmy Pursey invited an acquaintace of ours, Judy from Northampton, to lunch in Brighton the day after a gig, then made her do a runner. She was not especially happy about that

That was Pizzaland, near the top of North Street. Long before pizza chain restaurants became ubiquitous from the late 1980's.

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