A couple dining at a family-run Italian restaurant in Widnes, Cheshire, are under police investigation after allegedly planting broken glass in their meal to avoid paying a £64.85 bill — all while accompanied by their daughter.
The incident occurred on Saturday at San Marino restaurant, where the pair had walked in without a reservation. According to staff, the couple claimed the woman nearly broke her veneers on a sharp object she found in her pasta — a claim they used to refuse payment and allegedly seek compensation before leaving the premises.
According to San Marino’s managing director Miraz Yolcu, CCTV footage reviewed after the incident revealed what appears to be a staged setup. The video — which has since been viewed more than 115,000 times on Facebook — allegedly shows the man pulling a piece of glass from his pocket and passing it discreetly to the woman, who then placed it on her napkin.
Moments later, she was seen scooping pasta onto the napkin before summoning a server and pointing out the glass shard. “It was shocking to see the CCTV footage. They were with their daughter but they're not ashamed,” Yolcu told The Sun.
“They weren't booked and they just came and said they needed something to eat so we happily showed them a table. They ordered their food and started eating and everything was fine.”
The bill included a Penne San Marino pasta, chargrilled lamb shish kebab, garlic bread, Caesar salad, still and sparkling water, and a Coca-Cola.
“They had almost finished their food when the lady called one of the staff and said she found a piece of glass on her food that was in her mouth and almost broke her veneer teeth she has paid thousands of pounds for. They wanted to go to a GP,” Yolcu explained.
“Everybody was in shock. The staff were worried and they called the manager who came and asked what had happened. They said they won't pay for this meal.”