Father apologises for daughter’s ‘free’ tequila breakfast

A father in northern Johannesburg has been embarrassed by his daughter‚ who staged a “dine and dash” at a restaurant after an alcoholic breakfast.

Surveillance footage of the young woman‚ who appears to be in her 20s‚ and a male companion was posted on social media by the Linden coffee shop on Thursday‚ alongside the message: “Anybody recognize this girl and guy? Came in this morning in Paputzis had breakfast and tequila and she and her boyfriend ran out without paying and sped off in his red and black VW”.

She was quickly identified by the closely knit neighbourhood as a resident of a nearby suburb.

The owner of the restaurant confirmed she had reported the case to the police.

On Friday‚ her father - who described himself as "devastated" - bravely took to a neighbourhood Facebook group to apologise.

“We went to Paputzis as a family first thing this morning with tears in our eyes offering our sincere apologies which (the owner) has kindly accepted. If we had known about this yesterday‚ we would have sorted it out immediately. We apologize to (the owner) and her staff for all the inconvenience caused.”

He received some support from other parents‚ and advice too.

“I feel for you! Sometimes our kids can do things that are so far removed from the values that we've taught them that it shocks us to our core. However‚ she's done real damage... Please take her … to apologise‚ pay‚ and maybe do a week's worth of evening-shift ‘community service’ … to learn that these are real people with real lives and possibly struggles that she could not even imagine‚” one woman shared.

Another said: “By the father consistently paying for her or apologizing on her behalf does not solve the problem. I feel for him as he does not want to get his daughter arrested. However she is an adult and should take responsibility for herself‚ she is not only humiliating and embarrassing her family‚ taking advantage of people.”

“Our children can do things that cause great heartbreak to parents and community alike. My heart goes out to you as a parent‚ but it is essential that you take immediate action to remedy her wrongs‚” said a third.

Her dad replied: “Please be assured that my daughter did not ask me to sort her problems‚ in fact I demanded that they pay for their actions. They will both do community service and report to (the restaurant owner) in writing. Thank you for all the kind words from some‚ needless to say we are devastated.”

Two similar cases of people doing the “dine and dash” were reported on by TimesLIVE last year.

In November a 34-year-old mother and a companion walked out of the Fat Cactus Café in Cape Town without paying. A video clip of the two enjoying drinks at the restaurant went viral. She blamed her companion for not paying the R1‚300 restaurant bill.

In February 2016‚ the Stage Door pub and grub style restaurant in Port Elizabeth also took to social media to issue a “pay up or else” ultimatum to customers who walked out without settling their tab. The cheating foursome eventually paid up.

Under South African law‚ a case of fraud can be opened against people who fail to pay their hotel or restaurant charges. The guest may also be sued by the establishment for payment of the bill.