Moment restaurant owner gets revenge on shameless 'dine and dash tourists'

A savvy Italian restaurant owner used the power of social media to tract down two tourists who attempted a dine and dash in Italy. According to Italian-based media platform Cronache Maceratesi, Michela Malatini, the owner of the I Due Re pizzeria in Civitanova Marche, published CCTV images of the cheeky pair to the restaurant's Facebook page and used reader comments to identify them.

The owner revealed that the two tourists, both aged around 30, ate two pizzas and drank two drinks each, fetching a bill of around £38 (€44). However, the tourists simply walked out of the restaurant when it was their time to pay the bill. Ms Michela told the reporters: "I saw that the table was empty and waited to make sure they hadn't gone to the bathroom."

The restaurateur captured an image of the miscreants from the restaurant's CCTV cameras and published it to the popular pizza joint's Facebook page.

She said that so many customers had run off without paying that she had developed a sixth sense for who might try to duck out on their bill, and had created her own method of enforcing justice.

Michela explained: "It happens often. The police? I don't call them. I always find the customers, I have my own method."

"I had seen them both and knew where they were going," she added. "I posted a message on Facebook and, thanks to some comments, I was able to find them."

She received a reply just a few hours after posting the message. The reply stated: "Found! I'm at the B&B."

The clever restaurateur immediately contacted the B&B's manager and made her way there. She said: "They didn't even understand what was going on, but they recognised me and took out their wallets," she said.

"It's more of a story to smile about. It happens once or twice a week," Michela added. "I've always dealt with it this way; I've never called the police.

"Thanks to the cameras, I can find those who run away, contact them and tell them I'll be waiting for them to settle the bill, showing them the security video. The next day, they all come back," she explained with a laugh.

She said that it's the principle of the thing, rather than the loss of the €44. "It's not so much about the money," she said.

"It's a large beach club with 70 employees, and €44 doesn't make a difference. But if people start thinking that they can come and eat without paying, it becomes a problem."