Taylor McQuade, a bartender at Stout Public House in the Gaslamp Quarter, says he recently helped police apprehend a man accused of repeatedly scamming restaurants and bars across San Diego by racking up tabs and walking out without paying.
According to McQuade, the suspect allegedly used the same emotional story at multiple establishments, telling bartenders he had just learned he was cancer-free and wanted to celebrate. McQuade says the story often prompted sympathetic bartenders and patrons to congratulate the man as he ordered drinks and food, only for him to leave without settling the bill.
McQuade said the alleged scam first affected Stout Public House roughly two months earlier during a Sunday lunch shift, when a man ordered a Reuben sandwich and five Society Pupil IPAs while sharing the cancer-recovery story with staff and other patrons.
“Everyone at the bar congratulated him,” McQuade wrote in a social media post recounting the incident. “An hour later… he walked out.”
In the weeks that followed, McQuade said the man’s photo began circulating in a large group chat used by hundreds of San Diego bartenders. According to posts shared online, the same alleged scheme had been reported at numerous restaurants and bars across the city.
Among the establishments McQuade and other hospitality workers say were targeted are Craft & Commerce, Ironside Fish & Oyster, The Lion’s Share, Juniper & Ivy, Old Town Mexican Cafe, Cowboy Star, Fort Oak, Coasterra, Mabel’s Gone Fishing, The Blind Burro, Sovereign Thai, Encontro North Park, Sally's Waterfront Dining, Karl Strauss 4S Ranch, Home & Away, Butcher's Cut, Swagyu, Kingfisher, The Remy, Freddy’s Chophouse, Salvatore’s, La Puerta, Coronado Tavern, Counterpoint, Pizza Nova, Bar One, and Stout Public House, among others.
The situation escalated on Valentine’s Day when McQuade says he recognized the man walking past the bar in downtown San Diego. McQuade confronted him outside the establishment, leading to a chase through parts of the Gaslamp Quarter, all while McQuade was informing the police of their whereabouts.
According to McQuade, the pursuit moved through several downtown landmarks including the area around the San Diego Central Library, Petco Park, and the San Diego Convention Center before police arrived.
Video shared online shows McQuade confronting the man and chasing him on foot before San Diego police officers eventually detained the suspect. McQuade said responding officers confirmed the individual had previously been reported to police.
According to information shared by McQuade online, the suspect was identified, but we are withholding his reported name at this time. A San Diego Police Department case number associated with the incident is listed as E26020019466, and McQuade has encouraged restaurants and bars that may have been affected to contact authorities.
The hospitality community has closely followed the story as it spread across bartender networks and industry group chats, highlighting a problem that restaurant workers say has quietly grown in recent years: organized or repeat dine-and-dash incidents targeting busy bars and restaurants. While individual dine-and-dash cases often involve small amounts, repeated incidents across multiple establishments can add up quickly, particularly when alcohol is involved.
McQuade later discussed the encounter in detail on an episode of the Wellness on the Rocks podcast, where he described the alleged pattern of behavior and the events leading to the chase and arrest.
SanDiegoVille has reached out to the San Diego Police Department for additional information regarding the case, including potential criminal charges and whether other incidents involving the suspect have been reported. This article will be updated as more details become available.
Originally published on March 5, 2026.
