A London man who fled a restaurant during Saturday night’s terror attack decided “the least [he] could do” was return the next morning and settle his bill. Richard Angell was having dinner with friends at Arabica Bar & Kitchen, a few blocks from London Bridge, when he started hearing noises outside and seeing people covered in blood.
Everyone “panicked,” he says, and a server blocked the door with the weight of his body till staff could locate the door keys. He tells BuzzFeed that all of Arabica’s staff and diners, including a “poor pregnant woman,” were trapped in the restaurant for about half an hour.
Police eventually escorted everyone from the scene. That exodus naturally left a lot of unpaid tabs. Angell says not only did staff look out for diners’ safety, but also Arabica “is no global chain, and I know how London’s waiters live off their tips as much as their wages,” which is why he made a point of returning and tipping them double. “I shall be going back with more friends very soon — there is an unfinished ‘duck and date’ dish with my name on it,” he’s vowed, adding that if “drinking gin and tonics with my friends … continues to offend the cowards who sought to cause us such harm, then I for one will be doing it more, not less.”
And if there’s any doubt fellow Londoners agree with Angell, this screengrab from Sky News’ evacuation footage, which has been widely shared over the last two days, provides yet another glimpse into the city’s steadfast resolve:
