Dine & Dash or ‘walk-outs’ are a constant worry for any restaurant, bar or pub manager. Even before the COVID pandemic, accounts of diners stepping out before paying their bill were numerous across the UK. Reported losses and arrests in Essex, Norfolk and London saw hospitality businesses incur losses in their thousands.
Although ‘dine & dash’ is illegal and fraudulent, according to Barclays Bank*, over 25% of diners would consider walking out if they had to wait for their bill for longer than expected. Naming this final wait as one of the most frustrating aspects of the dining experience, it appears that it’s not just opportunists that would consider a ‘walk-out’.
According to The Drinks Business**, the hospitality business has already lost £53bn in 2020 due to the pandemic. Even though these losses are astronomical, the companies that come through to the other side will want to reverse this damage.
Soon, the hospitality industry will be preparing to welcome customers again. Patrons’ anticipation is building, and the general public is eager to return to eating and drinking away from home.
A simple solution to eliminating Dine & Dash is to allow tabs by retaining cards. For most businesses taking payment in advance does not work for their style premises. It doesn’t allow for a slow and enjoyable dining experience and puts customers on edge due to mistrust. Furthermore, if a venue insists on pre-payments the opportunity for upselling might be lost.
The answer is CardsSafe!
The CardsSafe system is specifically designed to securely retain customer payment cards while the cardholder runs a tab or trials a product or service.
The ‘behind the bar’ or ‘on-the-go’ technology securely holds bank cards safely enabling customers to run a tab. Building trust in the brand, and allowing them to freely spend more in the knowledge that the establishment is treating the system like any other part of the venue by complying with strict guidelines.
CardsSafe is simple to use and affordable, and the rental fee can be recouped in preventing just one Dine & Dash incident. Staff can safely retain the customer’s card on arrival and exchange it for a unique key. The card is then stored in a CardsSafe box, offering peace of mind for the customer, and extra assurance for the venue that the customer will find it virtually impossible to walk out without paying.