The man and woman lunched at the waterside brasserie The Old Custom House in Cardiff Bay after pulling up in the car with a distinctive number plate.
The pair were seen on CCTV parking their car with personalised plate reading: “MD11 RAN” in the eatery’s private car park.
The bald-headed man, wearing a black vest, shorts, and sporting a heavy beard, was also filmed entering the restaurant side-by-side by the woman who was dressed in a white jumper, blue jeans and flip-flops.
The restaurant has now appealed for the couple to return to and settle their bill after they left without paying on Tuesday June 30.
The restaurant said: “A polite request to two customers who visited The Custom House today…
“We’d kindly ask you to return and settle your outstanding bill. We’d much rather resolve this directly and appreciate you getting in touch with us as soon as possible.
“We have your vehicle registration on record: MD11 RAN
“Please return or contact the team to arrange payment.”
Social media users were quick to voice their support to the restaurant.
One said: “I love it when people are caught out and publicly shamed, well done guys.”
Another added: “Look at the state of them, you can just tell what type of people they are.”
A third said: “So sorry to hear this folks, hope it gets resolved.”
Others were quick to point out the “irony” of the couple’s car.
One said: “They ate and RAN like their number plate.”
“The irony of the number plate ending ‘I RAN’.”
The Customs House in Penarth is a Grade II-listed Victorian dockside building, erected in 1865 to serve the town’s booming coal and shipping trade as a government customs office.
Built in an unexpectedly grand Renaissance style, it was the first major structure on the new dock, where officers checked paperwork and collected duties on goods entering and leaving the harbour.
As trade declined, the building fell out of use by the mid‑20th century, later standing derelict before a major refurbishment in the early 2000s.
Today, the former excise house has been reborn as a popular waterfront restaurant complex overlooking Penarth Marina and Cardiff Bay.
