Meaning:
“霸王” means “despot” or “an overbearing person,” and “餐” means “meal.” Having existed for years, this term refers to the scenario where a person eats at a restaurant and then successfully avoids paying the bill, either by running away or intimidating the restaurant operator. Chinese food delivery giant Meituan Dianping used to run a promotion by the name “霸王餐” where lucky users of their app were gifted with free meals.
Example:
A: 昨晚办公室楼下的餐厅出事了。
Zuówǎn bàngōngshì lóuxià de cāntīng chūshì le。
There was an accident at the cafeteria downstairs our office building last night.
B: 怎么了？
Zěnme le？
What’s up?
A: 两个想吃霸王餐的小混混打伤了餐厅经理，被警察抓了。
Liǎngge xiǎng chī bàwángcān de xiǎohùnhun dǎshāng le cāntīng jīnglǐ，bèi jǐngchá zhuā le。
Two small-time crooks who wanted a free meal beat the canteen manager and injured him, then were detained by the police.