Small restaurants across Thailand’s tourist destinations are reporting a growing number of cases involving foreign visitors who consume food and drinks before refusing to pay, leaving business owners with limited legal options to recover losses.
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One widely shared incident occurred on 26 April 2024 in Mai Khao, Phuket, when a Russian couple underpaid a restaurant bill by 120 baht. When confronted by the owner, the couple reportedly told her to call the police, claiming officers could do nothing.
Police attended and attempted mediation, but the dispute remained unresolved. The confrontation disrupted the evening, prompting other diners to leave and forcing the restaurant to close early, resulting in further financial losses.
Restaurant owners say such incidents are rarely linked to food quality. In another Phuket case, a foreign woman refused to pay 80 baht for a strawberry smoothie, claiming it failed to meet her expectations. The restaurant owner, whose business had operated for nearly 20 years, told reporters she believed some visitors entered establishments already intending not to pay.
Although many of the incidents are from Phuket, similar complaints have emerged elsewhere. In Ao Nang, Krabi, a foreign diner allegedly consumed an entire meal before declaring dissatisfaction and refusing payment. The case was among 725 complaints received by a parliamentary adviser on police affairs. The adviser described certain offenders as exploiting the goodwill of local business owners.
A further recent incident was reported in Phuket on 31 May 2026. Two foreign nationals entered a restaurant between at about 10:40, ordered two coffees and one food item and consumed the drinks. Staff said the customers later requested that bacon in an ordered Egg Benedict dish be replaced with salmon, despite not making the request when ordering. After the restaurant declined the change, the pair allegedly left without paying.
According to the restaurant, staff attempted to stop them and asked them to return to settle the bill. The male customer, who had arrived on a motorcycle, allegedly then tried to drive through the exit area and nearly struck an employee before leaving.
Another male employee followed them on a motorcycle and caught up with them near Bangkok Hospital Phuket. The restaurant claims the employee was pushed and fell while attempting to speak with the pair, suffering abrasions and bruising to his arm. A police complaint was subsequently filed.
The issue is complicated by Thai law, which generally treats unpaid restaurant bills as civil contractual disputes rather than criminal offences. In many cases, police can only mediate, while further action requires legal representation and civil court proceedings. For small businesses, the costs often exceed the value of the disputed bill and are therefore not reported to authorities.
Phuket received more than 14 million visitors in 2025, including more than one million Russian nationals. Between January 2025 and April 2026, Phuket police recorded 3,218 cases involving foreign nationals, of which 2,223 were classified as tourism-related incidents.
Business owners and authorities have increasingly raised concerns about tourist misconduct. Phuket police have stepped up enforcement efforts, while discussions have taken place regarding visa policies and the profile of visitors Thailand seeks to attract. Restaurant operators, however, say they need a quicker and more practical system to resolve low-value disputes before more businesses are forced to absorb the losses.
Picture courtesy of Phuket Times of 31 May incident
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Adapted by ASEAN Now TheThaiger 2 June 2026
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