What to Do If You Can’t Pay Your Restaurant Bill

Dining out should be an enjoyable experience. But mistakes happen and you may find yourself unable to pay your restaurant bill due to a declined card forgetting your wallet, or other issues. This unfortunate situation can cause embarrassment and anxiety. Here’s a look at what might happen if you can’t pay your restaurant bill, and tips for resolving it smoothly.

Common Reasons You May Not Be Able to Pay

There are a few common reasons you could end up unable to settle your restaurant bill:

Your credit or debit card is declined due to insufficient funds, card expiration, or a frozen account
You realized you forgot your wallet at home or in the car when the bill arrives
Your mobile payment app failed and you have no other payment methods available.
You lost the credit card you planned to use during your meal.
You are a victim of credit card theft and your card was canceled unbeknownst to you.
As a dine-and-dash scam target, your date intentionally leaves you with their share of the bill.

What The Restaurant Staff May Do

If you explain that you cannot pay your bill, here are some possible ways the restaurant staff may handle it:

Allow you to leave identifying collateral like your driver’s license or phone to retrieve after returning with payment.
Take down your name, contact details, and photo ID information and have you sign an IOU agreement to pay within a certain timeframe.
Ask you to provide someone’s contact information who can make the payment for you right away.
Call the police to file a report and pass your details to pursue legal action if you fail to pay as promised.
Let you go without payment or information taken, trusting you will come back to settle the bill later.
Require you to wash dishes or assist with other tasks to work off the amount owed. However, health code and liability issues make this very unlikely.
Ask you to leave your credit card as collateral while you go and retrieve another form of payment.

Best Practices If You Cannot Pay Your Restaurant Bill

If you find yourself in this predicament, here are some best practices:

Remain calm, apologize, and explain the situation politely to your server right away. Don’t attempt to sneak out without notifying staff.
Be honest about why you cannot pay – lying will only make matters worse.
Ask if you can briefly access your phone or the internet to try settling the bill online using services like PayPal or Venmo.
Offer to leave your driver’s license or other collateral while you go and get cash, visit an ATM, or have someone else make the payment for you.
Provide contact information for someone who can make the payment on your behalf immediately by phone.
If allowed to leave without payment, get written directions to return and pay the bill, including name, restaurant address, server name, table number, and amount owed.
Make paying the bill your top priority and return to settle it as soon as possible, even if that means making arrangements to pay it gradually over time.
If police get involved, cooperate fully by providing your identification and contact details. Failure to pay may be considered theft.
Express sincere apologies and gratitude to the staff for their understanding and professionalism in handling the difficult situation.

Options for Settling Your Bill After Leaving

If restaurant staff do allow you to leave without payment, here are some options for taking care of the bill later:

Return to the restaurant as soon as possible with cash, a new credit/debit card, or a payment app like PayPal.
Call the restaurant, provide your updated payment info, and complete the transaction by phone.
Have a friend or family member go to the restaurant and pay your bill on your behalf right away.
Mail a check, money order, or certified bank check to the restaurant to settle your bill. Include any paperwork given to you and documentation like receipts.
Arrange for a bank wire transfer or online payment to the restaurant’s business account.
Set up a payment plan with the restaurant allowing you to pay the amount owed in multiple installments over time if needed. Get any agreement in writing.

Consequences of Not Making Payment

It’s important to make settling your restaurant bill a top priority. If you fail to pay, here are some potential consequences:

The restaurant may file a formal police report naming you for theft of services. You could face criminal charges if prosecuted.
A civil lawsuit could be filed against you to recoup the money, plus interest and legal fees.
The restaurant can send the unpaid debt to a collection agency, destroying your credit score and history.
You may be banned from returning to or permanently trespassed from that restaurant location in the future.
Other local restaurants may be warned about the incident, refusing you service or requiring upfront payment only.
Significant unpaid restaurant bills could lead to wage garnishment or property liens to settle the debt through a court order.

Avoid Finding Yourself in This Situation

To avoid finding yourself unable to pay a restaurant bill:

Carry at least two forms of payment when dining out, such as cash, a credit card, and a mobile pay app on your phone.
Check your credit/debit card balances before going to the restaurant.
Notify your bank if traveling to avoid account freezes on charges in new locations.
Set mobile payment app alerts for any payment failures.
Leave your card information and contact details on file for regular restaurants you visit.
Hide an emergency credit card or cash somewhere in your car for contingencies.
Keep your wallet, purse, and phone in sight at all times to avoid getting stolen.

Paying your share of a restaurant bill is your legal responsibility, so take steps to ensure you can always cover your meal checks when dining out. But should an honest mistake happen, handling it politely and promptly can help mitigate any issues.

What Happens If You Can’T Pay Your Bill At A Restaurant

What Really Happens When You Can’t Pay Your Restaurant Bill?

FAQ

What happens if you can’t afford to pay for your meal?

Sometimes, restaurants will ask for collateral—like your phone or ID—to ensure your return. Some places will call law enforcement to record your information before you leave; but as long as you reappear with valid payment in a timely manner, you probably won’t be charged with any wrongdoing.

What happens if you leave the restaurant without paying?

In the event that the restaurant presses charges against the person(s) who left the building without paying, they might have to pay restitution. Generally speaking, restitution refers to the costs of the food and other restaurant expenses dining and dashing might have caused.

What to do if you have no money at a restaurant?

Be honest and find other ways to pay Make sure the server gets their manager involved, so that they don’t face issues trying to cash out at the end of their shift. If your wallet is in your car and you need to leave and come back, you could offer your phone as collateral.

What if you can’t pay your restaurant bill?

For a limited time, you can save 50 percent off the cover price—click here! Sometimes when customers can’t pay their bill because of a credit card issue, restaurants will let them leave and trust they will pay once the card is activated again.

What happens if you leave a restaurant without paying?

What will happen entirely depends on the restaurant and your particular situation. Often, staff will let you leave on the good-faith assumption that you’ll pay up when you can. As Terryl Gavre, owner of San Diego’s Cafe 222, told Eat This, Not That!, she writes I.O.U.s for payment-less patrons, almost all of whom end up returning to resolve them.

How do you deal with an unpaid restaurant bill?

This brings me to my last point. Be honest about your situation, directly ask the restaurant manager what the best solution is, and then work with whatever they say. Resolving an unpaid bill will be a lot easier if everyone is honest and polite.

Why can’t I pay for my meal?

It’s not even your fault – there’s been some sort of mix-up at the bank or something. You’ve got a credit card, but it’s with the same bank. Since your debit card is working, assume you don’t have any way to get cash at an ATM because of this. Bottom line: you literally can’t pay for your meal right now.

Can a restaurant press charges if you don’t pay your bill?

From the customer perspective Of course, neglecting to pay your bill is morally wrong. It’s also illegal. However, Dietz says that anecdotally, it’s unlikely a restaurant will press charges (especially since that would involve tracking you down with virtually no identifiers).

What happens if you forget your wallet at a restaurant?

However, if they forgot their wallet, law enforcement may come to identify the person first before they are allowed to leave. And if they don’t come back to pay their bill in a reasonable amount of time, the restaurant might file criminal charges. People who stay to get their information taken are more likely to come back and pay, Pinsker said.