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A restaurant owner in Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, has expressed frustration after a couple left their meal unpaid at The Custom House, a local eatery. The pair enjoyed a seafood dinner including a £52 Dover sole, as well as calamari, and consumed eight Cokes along with a two-course set menu, accumulating a total bill of £115. According to the restaurant, they left abruptly when staff attention was momentarily elsewhere, escaping before the manager could confront them.
Captured on CCTV leaving the premises, the individuals’ actions prompted The Custom House to reach out via social media, urging them to return and settle the outstanding amount. South Wales Police have confirmed that they are investigating the matter following a theft report filed on June 29. The restaurant emphasized its preference to resolve the situation through direct communication, asking those involved to make contact as soon as possible.
Tanny Martinez, who has run The Custom House for over two decades, described the incident as “hugely disappointing for the entire team.” He highlighted the difficulties faced by the hospitality sector amid rising operational costs and described the dine-and-dash episode as disrespectful to the effort invested by his staff. Martinez also pointed out that such incidents are damaging not only financially but also take a toll on employee morale and well-being, given the level of care put into providing customers with quality experiences.
The Custom House is situated in the historic Penarth marina building—a Grade II listed Renaissance-style dock structure dating back to 1865—that was once the site of the Penarth Head Inn and connected to the infamous 18th-century pirate Edward Edwards. Today, the Martinez family owns and operates two restaurants there: El Puerto, where the incident occurred, and La Marina. This recent case adds to a string of dine-and-dash occurrences across South Wales, including a well-known case in Port Talbot where a couple was jailed in 2024 for multiple unpaid bills exceeding £1,000. Authorities continue to encourage anyone with relevant information regarding the Penarth incident to come forward
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