A well-respected family in the UK was recently awarded compensation in the amount of $100,000 as the result of a restaurant publicly accusing them of leaving without settling the bill. Peter and Ann McGirr, along with their two adult children, Carol and Peter, Jr. (pictured above), visited The Horse & Jockey Inn in the Peak District of Buxton for dinner. It was pretty uneventful affair, with the family ordering ribeye steaks and washing them down with ale before leaving for their home in Omagh, Northern Ireland. Shortly after their departure, The Horse & Jockey’s management posted a video to their Facebook page, accusing the McGirrs of leaving the establishment without paying the £150 ($200) bill. The family soon made national headlines for allegedly dining and dashing, which negatively impacted their otherwise impeccable reputation. They found themselves with no choice but to sue the inn to clear their name. As it turns out, the Horse & Jockey Inn had jumped the gun when it posted CCTV footage of the McGirrs on their Facebook page, as the family had paid by card but the staff had forgotten to put it through the cash register. Despite the inn’s attempts to apologize for their mistake and convince the family to drop the lawsuit, they were in for much more than they had bargained for. The owner’s attempts to appease the McGirrs with an apology, free meals, and a complimentary stay at the inn fell on deaf ears. The McGirrs, owners of McGirr Engineering and one of the wealthiest families in the Omagh area of Ireland, felt their reputation had been damaged beyond repair. In the end, The Horse & Jockey Inn wound up settling for £75,000 ($100,000) and making a public apology for the distress they caused the McGirrs. In hindsight, it would have been better if the restaurant had taken the £150 loss.
