The act usually involves the client placing an order, consuming it, and then exiting the establishment before or after being presented with the bill.
[2] The diner's intent differentiates the civil case of failing to pay a bill from the criminal act of defrauding an innkeeper.
[2] In Michigan, defrauding an innkeeper is a specialized statutory misdemeanor offense, with a maximum penalty of 93 days in jail and a fine of up to $500 and possible probation for up to 2 years.
The gravamen of this offense involves failure to pay an incurred bill at a bar, cafe, hotel, motel or restaurant with intent to defraud the business establishment.
[3] In one case, a man was arrested and charged with 10 felonies after 13 women who dated him footed the bill after he fled.