A Korean American restaurant in LA Koreatown has found an unusual but effective way to deal with frequent dine-and-dash incidents. Instead of relying on police reports, the restaurant began posting edited CCTV videos of offenders on social media.
The strategy, launched a year and a half ago, quickly showed results. According to owner Chris Han and manager Jin Kim, staff had even been asked to guard the door, but that proved limited. Posting the videos created a “shaming effect,” with relatives, friends, or partners of the offenders often contacting the restaurant offering to pay and requesting the videos be removed.
In June, four men from Russia and Kyrgyzstan left promising to fetch money from their car but never returned. After the restaurant posted the footage, a local Kyrgyz restaurant owner identified them as regular customers, helping to resolve the case.
In May, six Hispanic men left without paying. Their video reached 100,000 views within a day. One offender’s girlfriend, an influencer, was identified, and the men faced online backlash. The girlfriend asked for the video to be deleted, and one offender sent payment.
Earlier this year, three Hispanic men’s video in January reached 2.4 million views, while footage of a Jewish family of three in August surpassed 5.7 million views. In February, a couple’s video gained 84,000 views.
Last year, after four college students left without paying, the restaurant reached the parents of one student. The parents apologized, saying they were unaware, and the student repaid the bill with a handwritten letter of apology.
In February, the restaurant created a dedicated account, @fightdineanddashers, to share such videos, including submissions from other restaurants. The owners said their goal is to expand the positive influence of exposing offenders.
The restaurant noted that posting videos greatly increases the chances of resolution, as families, acquaintances, and online users get involved in pressuring offenders to settle the bill.
BY HANKIL KANG [kang.hankil@koreadaily.com]
