A Cape Town woman, dubbed the ‘dine-and-dash queen’ of the Mother City, was apprehended after fleeing an upmarket CBD restaurant without paying her bill amounting to over R3 000.
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According to the Weekend Argus, Courtney October, also known as Courtney Azariah, arrived at Restaurant Bôujee with two of her friends earlier this month before the three dined and dashed.
Three Pornstar Martinis, 12 oysters, 12 crayfish tails, three plates of egg-fried rice, a crunch platter and Purple Rain were allegedly ordered by the trio. The total bill came to well over R3 000.
‘At the end of the night, after finishing their food, Courtney informed the waiter that the bill would be settled on the company’s account because she is an influencer. Their bill added up to R3 425,’ Bôujee owner Ladipo Akindele told the Weekend Argus.
‘The floor manager informed her that such arrangements are normally communicated with the staff, and given that no such communication was relayed to them, she was obligated to settle the bill,’ said Akindele.
She then informed the waiter that they were going to the ATM and would return later to settle the bill. Her word was taken, and because she had her phone charged at the bar, it took some time before management was contacted about the situation, informing them that Courtney and her two companions had left the restaurant a while ago to go to the ATM but had not returned.
The restaurant’s staff was then instructed to contact the police, who arrived and informed the restaurant’s staff that the ladies had still not returned. and the police stated that they would be given more time because they, too, assumed she would return to retrieve her phone.
Police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie confirmed that when Courtney and her companions did not return, Akindele filed a theft with false pretences (bilking) charge against the suspect who allegedly ordered food for her and her friends but then refused to pay the bill.
October, who was unable to be reached for comment, is scheduled to appear in the Cape Town Magistrates’ Court on March 28.
Akindele stated that October contacted the restaurant days after he opened the case, requesting the return of her phone.
‘She was informed that her phone was in the restaurant’s safe and that it was as a failure of returning to the restaurant that the restaurant remained in possession of the phone,’ he told Weekend Argus.
He added, ‘Courtney was informed that she may collect her phone and settle the bill. Courtney agreed to this arrangement but ended up not collecting the phone nor settling the bill. Two days after communicating with the restaurant staff, October created an Instagram page that held content of a defamatory nature towards the owner of Restaurant Bôujee in his personal capacity as well as the business.’
Akindele told the Weekend Argus that it was later discovered that Ms October is part of a syndicate that extorts money and services from affluent men and businesses, adding that the police investigation would include this information.
This is not the first time Restaurant Bôujee has fallen victim to crime. Luan Schultz, a former employee, allegedly rerouted up to R1.6 million from his business before being caught. Akindele was one of several Cape Town restaurant owners who filed criminal charges against Schultz.
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