S'pore man who skipped out on S$234 bill at pub apologises & pays up, planned to pay back in 'a few days'

A man who allegedly left an unpaid S$234 bill at a Tai Seng pub after informing staff that he urgently needed the restroom at closing time has apologised to the pub and repaid his bill.

He returned the money he owed via bank transfer, Shin Min Daily News reported, adding that the man said he originally planned to pay it back "in a few days".

As such, the bar does not plan to pursue the matter further.

Ordered drinks

This comes after the pub owner, Guowei, stated that his establishment, Enjoy Bar, in Commerze@Irving was subjected to the vanishing act on Jan. 3, 2026.

Responding to Mothership's queries, Guowei previously said that the patron who identified himself as Desmond, entered the bar alone.

As the bar was full, he joined a table with another customer, a stranger whom he did not know.

Guowei added that Desmond started with one bucket of beer before calling for an additional bucket, as he was informed that there was a promotional price of S$88 for two.

Later, as the bar was closing and bills were getting settled, Desmond ordered a third beer bucket at S$46 to be served.

Disappeared

However, he could not be found afterwards.

"He told us he urgently needed to visit the gents' and we gave him the benefit of doubt," said Guowei.

"After some time, we went to the gents' to check on him and he was totally gone."

The other customer then offered to pay Desmond's bill of S$234, but Guowei rejected that offer.

Citing that they were a newly opened pub, Guowei added that they felt "a bit disappointed that we chose to trust patrons but were unfairly treated".

"We didn't get customers to pay when they order because we have promos and don't want customers to feel obliged to order more for the promos," he said, adding that the pub keeps its customers' interests at heart.

Will not change business model

Shin Min reported that the pub's manager emphasised that despite this incident, it will not change its business model.

"We always put our customers' interests first and believe there are still good people in the world."

Top photos via Guowei, Canva