Dine and Dash Not Just Popular in NYC

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Run!

A few weeks ago we mentioned that dining and dashing (i.e., skipping out on one's restaurant bill) had become popular in New York City, with a 20 percent increase in incidents over last year. Guess what? Gothamites aren't the only ones down on their luck, as the trend has hit London, too.

The wacky Brits call the phenomena "eat and run," which is boring-sounding because there's no alliteration there. Nevertheless, according to The Independent, London has seen a 33 percent increase in dining and dashing, with 330 people skipping out on their tabs in 2010, compared with 249 in 2009.

Worst of all is Janis Nords, a Latvian filmmaker living in north London who dined and dashed at nine of London's top restaurants. He racked up £5,880 (or $9,363) in unpaid bills, which ultimately resulted in him being banned from entering central London at night so he couldn't frequent such restaurants. Someone give this man a piggy bank.

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