- A Florida restaurant owner is sick of customers
dining and dashing without paying their bills.
So he came up with a pretty clever way
to get them to pay up by posting their videos on social media.
That does include one diner who drove off in a Mercedes Benz
without paying her tab after the wind blew over her beer.
- Please pay. - We have.
- They're on Facebook, dude. Don't worry about it.
- Huh? OK.
We're gonna post you all over.
I'm gonna report you.
- We have, because the wind--
- Do you got her tag number?
OK.
- --blowing my pitcher on the floor and--
- Stop.
Ma'am, I just want my $12 pitcher.
- Get out of my car.
- Ken Brackins is the owner of Rick's on the River restaurant
and joins me now.
Ken, Todd and I were just talking
when we saw this video at first, saying, who does this?
We did not think this was a thing anymore,
but apparently it is.
So now that you've resorted to putting the cameras up
a couple of years ago to try and catch these people who
are dining and dashing, what's the response
been from those 10 to 12 people who
have been shamed, essentially, on social media
to try and get them to pay up?
KEN BRACKINS: Well, they've come back in to pay,
almost every single one of them.
Interesting enough, nobody apologizes,
and they never tip as well.
So, you know, just read into that as you do.
- Did that woman in the white Mercedes pay right there?
KEN BRACKINS: Actually, she did not.
We use this as also a deterrent.
We're not really trying to get the money
as much as use it as a deterrent so they won't do it again.
We don't want those customers back.
We always make them come back in and pay.
They'll want to pay over the phone,
but we make them do the walk of shame and come in and pay.
- I'd say so.
I would call them more "thieves" than I would "customers"
because they're not paying for anything.
They're just taking and leaving.
So you said you're not gonna get the police
involved, and you haven't yet.
Why?
KEN BRACKINS: They're too busy for this kind of nonsense.
I mean, if it's something very large or something
or if they get combative, we would call the police.
The police are way too busy.
They've got more important things to do.
But these people-- this is not the first time
they're doing this.
These people are very relaxed when they do it.
And I've had many other venues around call and say, hey,
can you give me that person's name
and number because they've been doing the same thing to us?
So they'll wait a few months and come back and do it again,
if you don't do something.
- Sounds like they're serial dine and dashers.
So you put this on social media.
One of the videos got up to 9,000 views pretty quickly.
What are the people's reaction on social media?
Have you been shamed at all for doing this?
Or is everybody on your side?
KEN BRACKINS: I would say 98% of the people are on our side.
We've got some-- from all over the world,
we get positive comments that they're cheering us on.
I think they're sick of seeing the smash
and grabs and nothing happening out on the left coast
out there.
So we're trying to do our part.
You get a few people that try to say that we're in the wrong.
But, you know, hey, we're not the ones that
are trying to steal something.
- Right.
KEN BRACKISN: So you don't want it splashed all
over social media, don't do it.
- It makes you wonder if they, too, are dine and dashers.
I still can't believe this actually
is a thing that happens.
Hopefully this continues to deter people from doing that.
That's absolutely ridiculous, especially
when you drive a Mercedes.
Pay your tab.
Ken Brackins, thank you so much.
KEN BRACKINS: Thank you.
- You're welcome.
TODD PIRO: I absolutely love that approach,
love that interview.
Every single question you asked, I was just, like, taking notes.
- [LAUGHS]
TODD PIRO: Because also, at the end of the day--
- Well, it's ridiculous.
TODD PIRO: --who does this?
And why do we feel so entitled, as a society,
that people even think about doing this?
- Well, don't forget about we just came off of the pandemic.
And restaurants, they struggled so hard.
TODD PIRO: Great point.
- Just pay your bill.
It's not that hard.
TODD PIRO: Great point.
- And if you can't pay your bill, don't go out to eat.