THE owner of an Indian restaurant locked in a group of golfers after they threatened to leave without paying their full bill.
Ten men, believed to be on a golfing trip from Somerset, had enjoyed a meal and several beers at Jaipur Indian Cuisine on St Piran's Road, Perranporth, last Wednesday.
"The men were all jolly and quite drunk," said owner Karamjit Mudhar.
"All of our prices are clearly shown on the menu and they were served the food and asked if everything was all right."
But when it came to settling the £175 bill the owner said they refused, adding: "One man paid £20 and tried to walk out, another said he was only paying £5 for the Cobra beer he had.
"In the end I had to lock the door. If I hadn't stopped them they would have gone.
"There has been a restaurant here for 16 years and we have a good reputation. The party were happy but then said the food was (rubbish) but only after they had licked their plates clean.
"I think they saw it as a good trick and they were trying to do a runner."
He claimed the group became abusive, intimidating other diners.
Lynda Cole, who runs the Stepping Stones café in Perranporth, was eating with friends at the time and said: "We were having dinner and the men were using a lot of bad language. I think they had been drinking.
"They were standing at the bar refusing to pay (the full bill) and being very aggressive. One man was waving £10 and kept saying that was all he was prepared to pay."
The group eventually paid £100, said Mr Mudhar.
He called the police, who told him it was a civil matter as they had not refused to pay.
"They knew their rights. It's not a criminal matter if they offer to pay something, which leaves me out of pocket," he added.
