COLUMBUS, Ohio (WKRC) – Ohio restaurants are being plagued by a “renegade” serial diner.
Accordingly 614 NowA serial din-and-dasher has been troubling Columbus-area restaurants for several months, possibly a year, although it’s unclear exactly how long.
Although dine and dashing is nothing new in the restaurant industry, 614 Now, The man has turned crime into an art form and even leaves a business card in the stores he targets.
The outlet reported that the individual is well known to wait staff in the Columbus area and is described as an older man who is usually casually dressed. He is known to eat lunch at the bar, order a few drinks and chat with the bartenders.
614 Now spoke to a young hostess at the corner of Third and Hollywood in Columbus.
Described as a “trendy hangout serving upscale American cuisine and a Sunday jazz brunch in an exposed brick setting,” Third & Hollywood features happy hour, the Vintage Room for intimate private events, and a cozy dining area complete with a fireplace.
“I think he visited us half a dozen times,” said the hostess, identified by the outlet as “Virginia,” when asked about the man.
Another employee named Reeve said 614 Now that the man had been served by a bartender during the day just a few days earlier.
“I had heard about the Dasher. But this man was just too smooth. I never had any reason to suspect anything. He was outgoing, very friendly, very talkative, like, ‘Hey, buddy, how are you?’ He asked for our regional manager by name and said one of his daughters worked here. He introduced himself to me and said his name was Patrick O’Rourke,” Reeve told the outlet.
Reeve remembered 614 Now Reporters that everything “Patrick” said seemed “credible.”
“He was a little sweaty and said he had just played 18 holes of golf. He was wearing a pink pinstripe golf shirt and a cap with a golf badge on the front,” Reeve told the outlet.
Accordingly 614 Now“Patrick” stayed at the bar from noon until about 1:30 p.m. He ordered two Tito’s and cranberry juice, along with a plate of smoked salmon and two glasses of wine. During the conversation with the man, Reeve revealed that he was interested in a career in construction, to which “Patrick” explained that he was the vice president of a large construction company in town and suggested that he might be able to help him out on an opportunity.
“When he finished his salmon, he said he was going to his car to get a business card for me and when he came back he would order a hamburger. That was the last time I saw him,” Reeve said. 614 Now.
The outlet reported that “Patrick” typically leaves a personal item behind to make wait staff believe he will return.
Depending on the point of sale, one of the following items is usually left behind:
- A phone case that turns out to be empty
- Sunglasses or reading glasses
“When he finally didn’t come back, I became a little suspicious. I turned the phone case over and saw that it was empty. I knew immediately that he had duped me,” said Reeve. 614 Now.
The outlet also spoke to a beverage manager at Lindey’s in German Village who said he witnessed a similar scene in early June.
“I took stock. This man came in and sat at the bar next to the front door. He ordered two double Titos and cranberry juice, two glasses of wine and two appetizers from our bartender,” said manager Ajay 614 Now.
Ajay told the outlet that the man struck up a casual conversation with the bartender, adding that he didn’t appear to be in any rush.
“I was working nearby. After a while, the bartender called me and asked if I knew where the guy was. I looked up and sure enough, he was gone,” Ajay said. 614 Now Reporter.
According to the publication, a cell phone case was left behind.
“I had seen the posts on Reddit,” Ajay told the publication’s reporters. “When I saw the suitcase, I immediately realized what had just happened. I said to the bartender, ‘This will be empty.’ And of course it was empty.”
A waiter at Hank’s, a restaurant in downtown Columbus, said 614 Now that just in the last week of June she turned away a man whose description matched “Patrick.”
A Redditor by the name of “ColdManufacturer9482” posted a message on the Columbus subreddit on June 5, asking people in the service industry if they had encountered the man before. He wrote that the restaurant where he worked had been attacked about 10 times, according to the source.
The post sparked hundreds of comments from other industry workers, many claiming they had been victims of the same person.
“I saw this at Old Bag (of Nails) in Worthington. The sunglasses (are) a calling card,” wrote one Reddit user, according to the publication.
“I pulled it twice at Brio when I worked there,” said another loudly 614 Now.
When a Reddit user asked why bartenders and waiters continued to serve the man, several pointed to “Patrick’s” disarming presence and the high turnover rate in the bartending industry, the release said.
When speaking with 614 NowReeve said he believes Patrick will eventually be found.
“They’ll find him,” Reeve told the publication’s reporters. “I know they will.”
