While the adage says “beggars can’t be choosers,” Christopher Travis has challenged conventional wisdom a whopping 86 times, according to The Daily Mail, by eating in some of Britain’s finest restaurants without paying a single quid.
According to the report, Travis has been convicted that many times for dine-and-dashing, and a previous sentence banning him from every restaurant in Britain hasn't stopped the persistent freeloader -- he’s breached the order 13 times in two years.
In his latest episode, the Telegraph notes, Travis ordered a three-course meal at celebrity chef Michael Caines' Abode restaurant in Exeter, England, and became indignant when his card payment of £51.52 was rejected. But when police were called to resolve the situation, Travis told them he "just wanted a good meal before [he] went back to jail."
Considering the food served at prisons, Travis' lawbreaking may be understandable. In one Vermont prison, inmates said the food was “so awful, they’d rather go hungry,” according to the Associated Press.
And Travis isn’t the only one eating what he can’t afford. According to New York Magazine, a whole population of young foodies are spending 25 percent of their paychecks on foie gras and pigs’ feet.
According to Travis' lawyer, Sarah Hornblower, the perpetrator specifically targets high-end eateries for his crimes. "He knows full well he cannot pay, that is why he accepts it fully when the police arrive," she said.