Fed-Up Restaurateur Busts Serial Dine-And-Dasher

CAMPBELL, CA — A serial dine-and-dasher was recently busted by a fed-up restaurateur in the Bay Area, according to police and the restaurant’s operator.

A 29-year-old Campbell man ate $45 worth of food Sunday at Sushi Confidential in the 200 block of East Campbell Avenue in Campbell, then left without paying, according to police, who said the man had eaten and skipped out on the bill before at the restaurant.

He was found nearby and cited for misdemeanor defrauding an innkeeper, police said, adding he also had an outstanding traffic warrant.

Sushi Confidential CEO Randy Musterer took to social media to recount the incident in greater detail, noting the man had been targeting his Campbell and San Jose restaurants for a few months.

“Our team was on high alert, keeping his photo on hand in case he returned,” Musterer wrote in the caption of an Instagram post on Monday.

A busser caught the man trying to flee Sunday, although the diner did eventually get out through another door, according to Musterer, who said he himself tracked the man down shortly afterward.

"From home, I was watching it all unfold," Musterer wrote of the man's escape. "I called City of Campbell Police Department 🚨🚨 non-emergency line while also driving around looking for him. The police searched downtown but called it off after 20 minutes. Just as I was about to head home, I spotted him walking near Coach’s Bar. One more call to Campbell PD, and within two minutes, three cop cars had him surrounded."