An irate cafe boss threatened to cover his losses with staff tips after seven men walked out without paying the bill.
Owner Matt McArdle was left fuming when the brazen customers ordered takeaway food and left before settling up at Toast cafe in Witherington, Manchester.
He says the seven men came in with their own drinks and sprawled themselves out over two tables.
Taking to Facebook to hit out at the customers, Matt said "Will you please come back and b****y pay for it.
"If not I'll have to decide whether to cover it myself or take it from the staff tips."
The boss has since backed down from the threat after receiving a backlash from other customers online, Manchester Evening News reports.
Several even vowed to boycott the eatery as the idea was branded "not a good look" and "terrible management".
One person wrote: "Not being funny but posting online that you're even consider taking it out of staff tips AND posting it on social media is not a good look.
"Enjoyed coming to you in the past but you're not having a penny off me in future lmao."
Someone else commented: "Obviously what those boys did wasn't on but neither is taking it from staff tips. I absolutely will not be ordering or eating with you again in future."
Matt said: "I got annoyed as this table were annoying.
"All I wanted from the post was for the guys to come back and pay. No hard feeling like.
"I only mentioned the tips thing as this was what used to happen at places I have worked in the past.
"It was deemed a staffing error and we had to pay for the mistake (usually from the tips, sometimes from our own pockets). This came to mind as I printed off the receipt and put it in the staff tips box.
"Please note this is not something we do, have ever done or will do. That is a fact whether believed or not.
"I got further annoyed when I realised the pittance worth of tips they had after a month of seriously hard work on their behalf."
Matt has since deleted the post and clarified that he had merely been annoyed and would not act on the comments.
He stressed that it was not and never would be company policy to take money out of staff tips.
