Three guys fled this restaurant without paying - a few days later, the owner got a remarkable note

In the 21 century, it can be a shock when out at a restaurant or pub that only accepts cash, leaving you with no alternative but to wander the streets in search of a cash point.

That's exactly what happened to three men who visited the Kilimandjaro restaurant in Middlesbrough on 8th December 2017.

After enjoying their meal they found themselves in an awkward situation when they were told they couldn't pay by card.

The trio then set out to find a cash machine but the young men, who weren't from the area, soon realised that their last train home was about to depart.

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Distracted, they made their way to the nearest train station and subsequently forgot about the bill for their food.

Luckily for Kilimandjaro owner Apollo Apollinaire their bill wasn't too expensive so he had to write it up as a mistake that he will learn from.

Speaking to Gazette Live Apollo said:

"I put it down to a bad experience. Usually, people don’t walk out as a whole group for a cash machine. I just told my staff to next time make sure one of them stays or they leave some belongings until they come back. We accepted they would never come back and we had lost the money."

However, just when you thought you'd lost all faith in humanity an envelope turned up at the restaurant a few days later, containing a letter and £40.

The letter which was from the three young men explained what had happened and why they didn't return to the restaurant.

In their note they said:

"We exited Kilimandjaros to embark on a search for an A.T.M machine. On our search, it was apparent that the last train to our hometown was shortly about to depart. This diverted our attention away from finding an A.T.M machine and led to us running to the train station and just making our train. It was at this point, being too late, we realised our actions and decided to write this letter of apology with £40 enclosed in this envelope".

In addition, they apologised for not being able to deliver the letter and cash in person and kindly offered to give the restaurant a five-star review on Trip Advisor.

Apollo has since shared the letter on the Kilimandjaro Facebook page, just to show that there a plenty of decent people still left in the world.

The story has since become something of a viral hit but the real tragedy of the situation is that the three youngsters didn't leave a return address for Apollo to contact them back.

He is now appealing for the trio to get back in touch with him so he can offer them a free meal as a reward for their honesty.

Speaking to indy100 Apollo encouraged the men to either message the Kilimandjaro Facebook page or contact the restaurant by phone.

Alternatively, if they do live too far away to pop in for a visit, Apollo has offered to send them each a free bottle of the restaurant's popular Kilimandjaro sauce.

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