Xian diners flee restaurants amid tremors – leaving US$8,900 in unpaid bills
Thousands ran from shopping centre when quake struck neighbouring Sichuan, but very few have returned to pay for their meals
Restaurants at a shopping centre in Xian say they lost some 60,000 yuan (US$8,980) when diners felt tremors from an earthquake in the neighbouring province and abandoned their meals.
Thousands of diners ran from the complex when the magnitude 7 quake hit Sichuan on Tuesday night, leaving their meals unfinished and their bills unpaid at some 40 restaurants, News.163.com reported on Wednesday.
One of the restaurant owners, identified as Cao Jiandong, told the news outlet that 33 tables of customers at his restaurant had left without paying. Just three of those bills were later settled, leaving some 7,000 yuan in bills outstanding.
Cao added that it was understandable that people would put their safety first at such a time, but he hoped the diners would return and pay for their meals. “Restaurants need to cover our costs,” he was quoted as saying.