The Star E-dition

R1m alcohol bill ‘probably fake’

GOITSEMANG TLHABYE goitsemang.tlhabye@inl.co.za

THE R1.3 million tab allegedly picked up by a customer at a restaurant in Brooklyn, Pretoria, that’s been causing a stir on social media platforms this week is most likely fake or doctored.

This is according to a restaurateur and manager of a renowned eatery and popular club at Times Square Casino, who said he had a hard time believing the veracity of the bill.

The manager, who has been in the business for well over 10 years, said a number of red flags popped up for him the moment he looked at what had allegedly been bought by the patron.

For one, he said the amount of food ordered in comparison to the alcohol just did not tally, and he knew it was odd for most establishments to keep that many bottles of the Ace of Spades Rose variety, in particular, on hand or in their reserves.

In his establishment, a bottle of Ace of Spades Rose goes for around R26 000.

He said even though medium-sized bars typically held alcohol in the region of that price range, what convinced him that the bill was probably fake was the fact that it included 20 bottles of Dom Perignon Luminous, which had been out of stock in the country since last year.

“I knew it was bull as soon as they listed the Dom Perignon and in particular the Luminous bottle as South Africa hasn’t had that brand from as far back as November.

“We’ve also been trying to restock and it’s yet to arrive this side, so how would they get 20 bottles of it?” he said.

Independent Media visited the 012 Lifestyle restaurant to confirm the authenticity of the bill, and the manager at the bar said they had been instructed not to comment on, confirm or say anything about the matter.

Meanwhile, social media continued to speculate about the amount splurged, especially after Jerusalema hitmaker Master KG tagged Zimbabwean prophet Passion Java on the spending spree.

The bill was shared on Twitter and Facebook, and the receipt shows that exactly R1 374 945 was spent on mostly booze.

It included 100 bottles of Ace of Spades Rose Champagne, 50 bottles of Veuve Rich Champagne, 20 bottles of Dom Perignon Luminous Champagne, three bottles of Glenfiddich 23 Year Old Whisky, and 13 300ml cans of Coca-cola.

For food only two platters were ordered, costing R550 and R650.

The man tagged for the bill has not posted anything regarding the incident, and instead kept his social media platforms filled with videos and pictures of him spending time with family in the US.

Metro

en-za

2022-01-15T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-01-15T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://thestar.pressreader.com/article/281599538862057

African News Agency