In the clip, the man appears to reach under his arm, pull out strands of hair and drop them onto his plate.
A bizarre dining dispute at a restaurant in Australia has gone viral after CCTV footage appeared to show a customer planting hair in his own meal and complaining about it. Pony Dining in The Rocks, Sydney, shared a CCTV clip on Facebook saying it wanted to alert other hospitality businesses after what its staff described as a suspicious complaint.
According to the restaurant, a group of six diners, including the man seen in the video, claimed they discovered hair in their food and refused to settle the bill. But CCTV footage reportedly told a very different story, news.com.au reported.
In the clip, the man, wearing a white shirt and beige trousers, sits at a table covered with plates and drinks. At one moment, he appears to reach under his arm, pull out strands of hair and drop them onto his plate.
“We don’t usually share content like this. This footage shows an incident that occurred in our venue. After the meal was served, the guest later raised a complaint regarding hair in their meal and declined payment. The matter has been formally reported. This video is shared to raise awareness for fellow hospitality venues,” the restaurant wrote in its post.
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1446669603469832
The group had ordered heavily, racking up a bill of more than $600, including premium items such as dry-aged steaks and a tomahawk cut, dishes that can cost over $140 depending on market prices, the manager told the news outlet.
“We served them a wonderful dinner. Everything was very clean, they had a beautiful table. We decided to check the CCTV after we noticed they were acting very weird,” the manager said.
The diners eventually walked out without paying.
As the video spread online, viewers flooded the comments section with reactions. A Facebook user wrote, “Isn’t that theft by depreciation. No different than stealing from another store.” Another added, “The audacity is unreal. Thanks for looking out for the industry.” A third said, “I am disgusted this happened. It’s unfair and unacceptable.”