"Dine and Dash"

In this blog post, I would like to discuss the issue and concept of "Dining and Dashing," and the legal ramifications that may arise from committing this act. It is my understanding that the term refers to the indecent act of eating out at an establishment ("Dining") and leaving without paying ("Dashing"). The term does not only just refer to specifically eating out at a restaurant it actually entails a range of other offences such as filling up your car with petrol and then leaving without paying.

Therefore, to sum up the term, it involves obtaining a service and leaving without paying. Obviously this is an ethical issue but there are also legal consequences to committing this crime. Contrary to popular belief, this is actually a criminal offence in Australia. For example, looking at the Tasmanian statute; Police Offences Act 1935 section 38A ("Making off without payment") clearly states that a person is guilty of a fine (of up to $1540) or even imprisonment of up to 12 months if you are found to have known that payment on the spot for goods supplied or services completed and then dishonestly make off without paying that agreed fee. However, I think that it must also be noted that if the supply of those goods was illegal, then this section is not legally enforceable.

I believe that the general crux of this legal issue is that someone is clearly taking advantage of a system of trust; that the restaurant for example, expects you to pay for what you eat. It is also interesting to note that many restaurants actually budget for walk-outs, and that they almost expect that this is a regular occurrence. I think that this shouldn't be the case; and that restaurants shouldn't have to worry about such a petty problem. Although some may think that this isn't an issue that needs fixing, I believe that there needs to be more policies and facilities in place to eradicate this behaviour. Those who offend are at an extremely high risk of doing again, as essentially this is theft, and it needs to be treated in the same regard. Offenders will keep committing this crime if they are not caught, so something needs to change!


Reference for Text:
http://www5.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/tas/consol_act/poa1935140/s38a.html

Reference for Images:
http://www5.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/tas/consol_act/poa1935140/s38a.html
http://dinendash.ca/img/logo.png