Lille restaurateur reports unpaid tables and counterfeit meal vouchers
A French news report shows surveillance footage of a terrace departure as the restaurant's director describes losses ranging from drinks to full meals.
FranceWhy this story? One of TF1 INFO's most watched videos since yesterday, with 213,956 views.
TF1 INFO: The news division of TF1, a private French television channel owned by the Bouygues group. 1.8M subscribers and 1.9B views.
Restaurants : de plus en plus de clients partent sans payer !｜TF1 INFO
Unpaid bills are changing what a Lille restaurant will accept at the till. At La Bande à Brigitte in northern France, director and partner Pierre-Antoine Traisnel has stopped taking paper meal vouchers and holiday vouchers because of counterfeits, France's TF1 INFO reports.
The brief report also examines customers leaving without settling their bills. Traisnel describes losses ranging from two terrace drinks costing eight euros to a table's 300-euro meal. He says the problem spans different ages and groups, including families.
Surveillance footage shows people leaving the terrace, a departure the report says left an unpaid bill. Traisnel says nonpayment has risen sharply over three years and describes customers inventing excuses to obtain discounts.
The losses are not confined to food and drink. Pointing to empty places on the walls, he says kitchen utensils and decorative objects are regularly stolen from the restaurant. The clip ends with the restriction on paper vouchers, another way the business is trying to limit its exposure.
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- Channel
- TF1 INFO
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- October 26, 2026
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The report drew about 214,000 views since yesterday.
