Palm Springs restaurant owners warn of serial ‘dine-and-dasher’

There’s an old saying that goes "there’s no such thing as a free lunch."

Restaurant owners in Palm Springs say one diner is costing them big time.  

The owner and employees at Oscar’s in Palm Springs told us they are pretty good when it comes to customer service. 

However, the owner filed a police report after an unexpected encounter with one customer and he’s not the only one.  

“When I brought him the bill, he couldn’t find his credit card," said Dan Gore, owner of Oscar's. "He had a bunch of cards but the only one that would be able to work he didn’t have. He says I must have left it at H&M.” 

He went to find it, but the store was closed. 

“He came back and said I can’t pay because they have my card in there," said Gore.

Without paying, he left his number. Now, it’s been weeks. No sign. 

“I text him again, I called him, his voicemail is full and I text him no response," said Gore.

He ordered a  pasta dish, a shrimp skewer and drinks racking up a $60.00 bill.

“But to come in and order all this food and make us assume that you’re going to pay and then not pay it’s cold.” 

Dining and dashing isn’t just a concern at Oscar's. 

“He ate well!," said Willie Rhine, Owner of Eight4Nine.

Rhine explained that man pulled off the same scheme there. 

“They forgot their wallet at the hotel and I would like to leave my driver’s license and go back and get the money, which they obviously left their driver license which looked legitimate," said Rhine.

Restaurant staffers told us he’s also hit up Bongo Johnny’s, Revel, Zin American Bistro and several other restaurants. 

"Its time for this guy to be caught, its not right everybody, especially right now everybody working really hard to make ends meet so to go out and take advantage of people," said Rhine. "Its not right.” 

Palm Springs restaurant owners can breathe a sigh of relief. Police announced on Tuesday that they have located and arrested a serial dine-and-dasher.

According to the Palm Springs Police Department, this had going on since at least Feb. 1, 2021. This went on for over a month, but he was finally arrested on the afternoon of March 7.

Police said they received a call from a restaurant in the 400 Block of E. Tahquitz Canyon Drive. Staff told police that they believed this was the person behind the numerous dine-and-dash incidents and he had just done it again.

Officers arrived at the area and located the suspect, a 31-year-old Palm Springs resident.

The suspect was arrested and booked into jail on defrauding and innkeeper charges.

Police said additional charges could be filed if it is confirmed that the suspect was invovled in other reports, such as the restaurants who spoke with News Channel 3.

As part of station policy, we will not publish the identity or photo of the suspect until they are officially charged.

The Palm Springs Police Department encourages anyone who is the victim of a theft, to report it to your local police department. 

"Often times, these incidents go unreported which makes investigating crime patterns more complicated," reads a post by PSPD. 

If you or your business have been a victim of theft, please contact the Palm Springs Police Department Non-Emergency line at 760-327-1441. 

Theft reports occurring in the city of Palm Springs with no suspect information can also be reported on-line at PSPD.com.