A financially secure couple from Barnstaple, Devon, have described how their holiday in the South of France led them to repeatedly leave restaurants and cafes without paying the full bill, a practice they refer to as 'dine and dash.' The couple, aged 52 and 55, stated that before their trip, they would have unequivocally said no to such actions.
Their experience began in Cassis, the second stop on their two-week tour of the Cote d’Azur. They noted a decline in service levels and an increasing delay in receiving bills at establishments as they travelled east along the coast. At a cafe in Cassis, intending to have a quick breakfast before a 10 a.m. scuba diving trip, they found no staff available to provide a bill. After a brief wait, one of the pair asked for the bill, only to be told it would be brought. When no one appeared, they decided to leave what they estimated to be the cost of the ingredients, around five euros, despite suspecting the actual cost was closer to ten euros.
They considered their action not as stealing, but as paying for what they felt the breakfast and service were worth. This incident, they noted, would have been the end of it if the hospitality had remained consistent.
However, their next destination, St. Tropez, led to further instances. The couple found the restaurants in St. Tropez to be prohibitively expensive, with service that did not justify the costs. They felt some establishments confused exclusivity with indifference, suggesting they may have been treated differently due to not appearing as affluent as other tourists in the town, which is known for its superyachts and designer boutiques.
During a lunchtime visit to a cafe opposite the yacht moorings, they ordered two coffees and two croque monsieurs, which cost €30 before service and local taxes. They described the croque monsieurs as lukewarm and of poor quality, comparable to those from a service station. Their polite complaint was met with a shrug from the waiter. After a 20-minute wait for the bill, they again engaged in a whispered 'justification discussion' and left an amount they believed covered the cost of the ingredients, approximately €10.
This repeated behavior led to the development of 'the code' between them, a set of rules for their actions. They resolved to always pay full price at quiet, family-run restaurants, for meals they genuinely enjoyed, and only after asking for the bill at least twice and waiting 20 minutes. They would leave an amount they felt represented the ingredient cost in other situations. The couple stated that this was not about getting something for free but about refusing to reward what they perceived as dreadful service and cynical tourist pricing.
Two days later, at another port-side establishment, they ordered a salad and a chicken burger with fries, along with two beers, for over €80. They cited the waiter's abrupt and rude service, including his reaction to a request for mayonnaise and a complaint about lipstick on a beer glass, as justification for their actions. After another 20-minute wait for the bill, they left €20 and departed.
By the end of their holiday, they had repeated this pattern at five different establishments. They reported that no restaurant staff ever pursued them. Upon returning to the UK, they kept their actions secret but have since joked about it, describing themselves as having gone to France as respectable professionals and returning as 'serial saucisson underpayers.' The experience, while a source of guilt, also provided an undeniable thrill.
Despite their experiences, the couple expressed a desire to return to the Cote d’Azur, though they might avoid St. Tropez due to the lingering possibility of encountering a waiter with a long memory. They maintain that while they would deserve any ire, they would still argue that the poor quality of some of the food warranted their actions.