Celebrity chef scammed by faux cop
A man who ate at the Michelin-starred street food restaurant of Supinya “Jay Fai” Junsuta without paying his bill is not a plainclothes inspector as he claimed, but a former civil servant, Pol Col Todsapol Ampaipiphatkul, Samran Rat Station superintendent, said yesterday.
The star-studded chef posted on her Instagram story that she was searching for a man who claimed to be a police officer. He allegedly cut in line, finished his meal and then left without paying his 2,310 baht bill on Thursday afternoon.
Jay Fai later filed a complaint with the Samran Rat Police Station.
The man was nabbed yesterday after police reviewed the CCTV footage. He was questioned before being taken to Jay Fai’s restaurant, where he apologised to the legendary chef-patron.
He said he did not intend to skip out on the bill. He just forgot to pay because he was in a rush to retrieve his car from a maintenance service.
Pol Col Todsapol said the man was a retired local authority officer who claimed to have a problem with his memory.
Jay Fai did not press charges. She said she would ensure her staff are more thorough in future in terms of collecting payment.
However, officers said they would investigate further the report of the man impersonating a police officer.
According to Pol Col Todsapol, eating at the restaurant without paying is considered a form of theft under Section 345 of the Criminal Code, with a maximum detention of three months in jail and a fine of up to 5,000 baht.
Jay Fai is the owner of a street-side restaurant in the Pratu Phi area of Phra Nakhon district. Her establishment has been rewarded a Michelin Star for six years since 2018.
On Thursday, she posted on her Instagram account, @jayfaibangkok, that the man ordered her famous crab omelette and beef phad kaphrao. “He ordered the food and did not pay me,” she wrote.