THE bar manager of a restaurant challenged a woman who 'left without paying' during a tense phone call, saying she was 'lost for words'.

Tsu Law of Chung Ying Garden in Friar Street, Worcester, did not let it slide when a couple left the restaurant without paying for their meal on Sunday.

However, she also said the business was 'trying to be fair' by giving the young couple until the end of the week to settle the bill.

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Miss Law, the bar manager, said she called the young woman on the phone number she left when she reserved the table for the couple.

She told her that she expected one or both of them to come in and settle their bill or they would be reporting the matter to West Mercia Police and publishing CCTV images of the pair, who she described as 'a young couple in their 20s'.

Miss Law rang the customer at 4pm on Tuesday, introduced herself and said the woman answered to the name she had reserved the table under.

However, when challenged about the unpaid bill the young woman was said to have responded 'errrrrrr....' before denying she had been to the restaurant.

"She said 'I didn't go anywhere on Sunday'. The table was booked under her name and she answered to that name. She kept denying it, saying she didn't go anywhere on Sunday evening.

"She didn't know what to say. The CCTV images are very, very clear. It's not so much the amount they haven't paid - it's the principle.

"If we let this slide, someone else will think this is okay. We also don't want it to happen to other people," said Miss Law.

Miss Law told the woman on the phone that she 'did not want to enter into an argument with yourself or your partner' but that the matter would be reported to West Mercia Police unless the bill was paid.

She said she told the young woman: "I will leave it with you. I hope to see you by the end of the week."

As previously reported, the incident happened at the Cantonese and Vietnamese restaurant on Sunday.

Staff are set to report the matter to West Mercia Police but are hoping it was a genuine mistake and the couple will return to settle the bill.

They have appealed to the couple explaining: "As a small independent business we cannot afford to lose money this way."

In a post shared on the restaurant's Facebook page, a manager wrote: "This message goes out to the young couple who left the restaurant Sunday evening (13.11.2022) without paying their bill.

"Although the amount left unpaid was relatively small, it's still disappointing that this has happened.

"If there was a reason why you decided that you didn't want to pay, you should of discussed it with us.

"On Sunday evening we only had one member of staff working front of house due to it being our quietest evening of the week, and unfortunately she felt she been taken advantage of when she went out the back to get food for the other customers dining that evening.

"As a small independent business we cannot afford to lose money this way."