Montreal restaurant owner speaks out after alleged dine-and-dash

Local Montreal restaurant speaks out after group of diners allegedly left without paying

A Montreal restaurateur is warning fellow business owners to stay vigilant after a group of six allegedly left his restaurant without paying a bill of several hundred dollars.

The incident happened on July 6 at Yans Deli, a restaurant off Décarie Boulevard that draws inspiration from Eastern European and Romanian cuisines.

Owner Benji Greenberg said the encounter began on a friendly note.

“They walked in and said they were Eastern European — they were showing me pictures of Romanian dishes and asking if we had that,” he said.

“I wanted to take good care of them, give them hospitality and show them what we do for people who are from the part of the world where we get our inspiration from.”

Customers continued adding items

According to Greenberg, two men initially entered the restaurant before four others joined them, bringing the group to six.

As the meal went on, he said the customers continued adding items to their order.

“They said ‘we want a lot of sausages, pastrami and lots of soups and potatoes,’” he recounted.

Greenberg said the final tab was higher than what he would normally expect for a lunch service. While customers typically spend between $30 and $50 per person, the group’s bill reached about $450 before tips.

He said the atmosphere also changed over the course of the meal. What began as a friendly interaction became increasingly demanding, with customers frequently calling him over while he managed the dining room alone.

When it came time to settle the bill, Greenberg said the group was gone.

He filed a police report and later shared security images on social media. The post quickly circulated online, generating support from other restaurant owners and customers.

Greenberg believes the incident may have been deliberate. He suspects the first two men who entered the restaurant were assessing the situation and whether staff would be able to keep track of the group.

For Greenberg, the most frustrating part was not necessarily the financial loss.

He said he had gone out of his way to make the diners feel welcome and that the attention required by the table affected service for other customers in the restaurant.

“Montreal is such a hospitable city. But there are people out there who are looking to take advantage of that,” he added.

Dine-and-dash trends

Dominique Tremblay of the Quebec Restaurant Association (ARQ) says dine-and-dash incidents are not new. She said the industry has previously seen social media trends involving people sharing stories about leaving restaurants without paying.

While the association does not keep statistics on the practice, Tremblay said the consequences can be significant, particularly for independent businesses.

“It can be small mom and pop restaurants where every penny counts,” explained ARQ’s director of public affairs and government relations. “And when you see a situation like this happening, it’s like people stealing directly from you, when you think about it.”

The association encourages restaurant owners to report such incidents to police, noting that reports can help investigators identify potential patterns or links between cases.

As for Greenberg, he said he is not expecting to recover the money. Instead, he hopes speaking publicly will help prevent similar incidents elsewhere.

“There are some bad eggs out there, and just keep your eyes open.”

With Yans Deli coming up on its first anniversary next month, Greenberg said he is focused on celebrating this milestone — not the bill left unpaid.