Serial Dine-and-Dasher Busted After Scamming Five South Florida Sports Grill Locations
SOUTH MIAMI — A South Florida man with a taste for grilled wings, top-shelf liquor, and unpaid tabs has been arrested after allegedly defrauding multiple locations of a popular sports bar chain. Authorities say Juan Carlos Rivera, 40, orchestrated a calculated dine-and-dash scheme that hit five Sports Grill locations across Miami-Dade County over a two-week span—racking up more than $650 in unpaid food and drink orders.
A Brazen, Repeated Scam
According to South Miami police, Rivera was captured on surveillance cameras executing a near-identical strategy at each restaurant. Dressed sharply in a blazer and sunglasses, he would sit casually at the bar, order drinks and food, and then claim he was stepping outside to deliver food to his “wife.” Moments later, he would vanish—leaving behind only a pre-approved credit card solicitation as a decoy.
“(He) came into the restaurant, ordered a couple of beers, would sit at the bar, have something to eat, something casual, maybe a shot,” said Christine Marques, Sports Grill’s chief operating officer and managing partner. “Then he’d say, ‘I’m going to go ahead and order something for my wife.’ … He says, ‘My wife decided to come and pick it up. She’s outside. I’m going to run it out to her, and I’ll be right back.’ But he didn’t come back.”
The scam, according to Marques, was simple—but consistent. The fake card he’d leave at the register often looked legitimate at first glance. “One of those cards you know, that you get in the mail that’s like, ‘You’re pre-approved.’”
Social Media Played a Key Role
Local media account Only in Dade helped bring attention to the ongoing scam. After posting surveillance footage and warning customers and businesses, the public response helped accelerate Rivera’s arrest.
“Only in Dade was very instrumental in putting all this together,” Marques noted.
Not His First Rodeo
This wasn’t Rivera’s first time running this con. In 2024, he was arrested for allegedly pulling the same stunt at an Outback Steakhouse on Miller Drive. In that case, Miami-Dade police said Rivera provided a card with no funds and left without paying—mirroring the pattern seen in the more recent Sports Grill incidents.
Charges and Court Proceedings
Rivera was arrested Wednesday night by Doral police in connection with the most recent incident at Sports Grill’s Doral location at 5241 NW 87th Ave. He is currently facing charges of:
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Organized scheme to defraud
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Defrauding an innkeeper
He was booked into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center and appeared in court Thursday.
“You need to stay away from Sports Grill, sir,” a Miami-Dade judge told Rivera during the hearing.
Community Response
The incident has struck a nerve in the community, especially among small business owners and staff in the hospitality industry.
Ellen Fitzgerald, a multi-unit manager for Sports Grill, expressed frustration at how such crimes can damage morale and trust. “We like to think people are inherently good, right? And then when something like this happens, it’s sad.”
Marques added, “It’s so disheartening, because we’re a family restaurant. It just affects everyone more than most people would think about.”
