POLICE suspect there are likely to be many more victims of a group of marauding mums that have reportedly gone on a scamming spree fraudulently receiving free meals, drinks and even cigarettes from restaurant and bar owners desperate to get rid of them.
The “boisterous” posse, with kids in tow, reportedly “trash” restaurants and cafes as part of the ploy to get staff, at the end of their tethers, to let them off the bill.
In one case, they have also been accused of placing glass in a meal and then demanding a refund.
It’s thought at least six businesses in Brisbane’s CBD and nearby suburbs of Spring Hill and Fortitude Valley have been targeted by the gang, most of who are said to have an Irish accent, over the last week.
Police told news.com.au they were aware of a string of similar incidents involving a rowdy group and urged businesses that haven’t yet come forward to get in touch.
The apparent scam is just one of many that plague hospitality businesses that have to balance the needs of genuine customers against scammers wanting something for nothing.
While in Brisbane the ploy involved glass, in Adelaide hairs are often placed in food by dodgy punters. In Melbourne food allergies are part of cafe con jobs.
In an angry Facebook post on Monday, Marie Yokoyama from the Birds Nest Japanese restaurant in Fortitude Valley explained how the women had set about to get a free feed.
“They are a group of about seven — four children and three ladies — and they are unbelievably rude. They came in and totally destroyed the restaurant.
“Halfway through the meal one lady started screaming that there was glass in her meal and that her mouth was bleeding. I believed her and then asked to see the glass.
“Upon inspection I knew that this had not come from our restaurant but they were relentless.”
The restaurateur said they didn’t have any thick glass of the type produced but this didn’t placate the customers.
“I was so scared and terrified of them that I made their meals and drinks free — around $180 (in) value.”
The post said the group demanded further drinks, for free, and left their excitable children unattended while they smoked outside.
As quickly as they arrived, the mums then went on the run full of food, and full in the wallet.
“Honestly these were the worst customers I have ever had in my life. For the first time in ever — these people drove me to scream my head off at a customer,” Ms Yokoyama said.
Luke Purnell, a member of staff at The Rattler pub, close by, said he helped to remove the cursing crowd.
“They were running amok trashing the place, complaining of glass in the food,” he told Channel 7.
“They were very boisterous, very drunk, you could tell they’d been at it all day.”
It appears the incident was no one off. On Thursday, it emerged a coffee shop owner had encountered a similar group.
Several women came into The Small Coffee Co in Spring Hill last week. They claimed they had been served the wrong food on a previous occasion and demanded they receive their lunch for free.
“They started getting aggressive and so I eventually just gave them three of the sandwiches that they said they ordered and then they asked for another one,” the manager told Fairfax.
At the International Hotel in Spring Hill they have reportedly wangled free cigarettes following a claim the machine had eaten their cash while they had a run in with staff at another cafe nearby.
Emi Rakowski and Marie Yokoyama with the shard at the Birds Nest restaurant who were victims of the glass in the meal scam. Emi Rakowski and Marie Yokoyama with the shard at the Birds Nest restaurant who were victims of the glass in the meal scam.Source:News Corp Australia
In Fortitude Valley and the CBD, three pubs are said to have been targeted. A staff member at one of those venues, Mick O’Malley’s, told news.com.au he suspected the group had visited recently.
“I did have a group of Irish women in here with thick accents and I had to approach them as their kids were going bonkers.” But he said they did end up paying for their meals.
Restaurant and Catering Industry Association Policy and Public Affairs Manager, James Coward, told news.com.au they were aware of the claimed swindles in Spring Hill and Fortitude Valley.
“It’s not confined just to the Brisbane area, another common scam that we’ve seen in Adelaide is customers deliberately putting their own hair in food and then claiming it is contaminated and wanting it for free.”
A foodie fraudster in Melbourne used allergies as her ruse to get a feed at several restaurants.
“She was quite well presented, spoke with a slight American accent and was very convincing,’’ Pure South manager Philip Kennedy told Fairfax in 2016.
The woman claimed to have suffered a severe anaphylactic reaction to a dish that contained chestnuts served at dinner, despite her warnings to staff that she was allergic.
“She was ill all week, medicated, scratching and uncomfortable. She showed me that she was still red on the neck and wrists,’’ Mr Kennedy said.
But the customer’s story became unstuck when she was told the only dish with chestnuts was served at lunch, not dinner.
Mr Coward said the scams sometimes worked as they were similar to real situations. For instance, in December, a Sydney cafe found itself in hot water when a customer genuinely claimed she had ingested shards of glass while downing her iced coffee.
“Incidents like glass in food do happen but be aware of the potential for scams and try and verify the veracity of the claims before you respond to them,” he said.
“If you have CCTV footage, accessing that technology is useful in making sure that you’re vigilant for scams.”
Mr Coward said it was particularly unfair to target small businesses like restaurants as margins were tight. “That money goes directly to pay the bills, wages and electricity so it is really disadvantageous to be caught up in these things.”
Queensland Police has confirmed to news.com.au they have received several reports of a group causing a ruckus in venues close to the CBD.
“We are aware and are following up inquiries. We are looking at other possible similar offences of that same nature.
“Any business owners with patrons refusing to leave the premise or if they have safety concerns should contact police immediately,” a spokesman said.