Ómós Digest #120: Stealing From a Restaurant This Christmas?

By Cúán Greene

Ho Ho Ho Petty Pilfering

It’s that joyous time of year again. A time for gatherings, gift-giving, volunteering, well-wishing, and of course let us not forget, a spot of festive theft.

At our own annual Christmas get-together, I put it to a group of friends (I thought I knew) that objects in restaurants are commonly stolen. What I was about to find out was that I was in the company of a well-oiled pack of thieves... As it turned out, each one of my devious friends had stolen something from hospitality in the past. What’s more, they weren’t ashamed, they were proud of their actions. Amongst this lot, slipping a pint glass or an ashtray into a handbag was considered fair game. Cutlery, napkins, soaps, and even a toilet brush were among other items nabbed from restaurants. Hotel robes and towels were there for the taking! These stolen objects sat in their cabinets like trophies (maybe not the toilet brush), or unveiled to the table triumphantly exclaiming ‘Oh I nicked that from such and such’. Somewhat between amusement and fury, I further probed this pack of kleptomanias to discover where their motives lay.

Along with the sitcom Friends, Home Alone is the perfect expression of 90’s classic Americana culture and is partly responsible for why so many across the world became enamoured by an America of this era. An iconic scene in Home Alone 1 is on the DC-10 American Airlines. Only moments before Kevin’s mother’s realisation that her 8 year old son had been left behind, the camera passes over Aunt Leslie and the forever obnoxious Uncle Frank McCallister, who despite travelling business class on a lavish holiday to Paris, suddenly feels the impulse to steal the silver salt and pepper shakers.

Having worked in hospitality since the age of 15, I have always remembered this scene. Film scenes featuring food have always been a favourite of mine, and to this day, I find aeroplane food exciting — the good, the bad, and the simply inedible. In showing my housemate this video, he exclaimed that his father took a shine to the Lufthansa cutlery now considered vintage. Having seen their art-deco design, I’ll admittedly say, they would have been hard to resist… But restaurant robbery is a real thing. And it’s both prevalent and problematic. The Guardian states that “Research company BMRM discovered that in the UK 'one in ten diners' admit to taking anything from the classic ashtray/spoon to actual whole chairs. Twenty-six percent of those surveyed said they did it because 'everyone else does' and 49 percent 'because I was drunk'. And while stealing a fork might seem like petty theft and no real loss to a restaurant, hospitality is a business that is run on fine margins, and these small crimes seriously add up.

1990’s Lufthansa Cutlery

In many of the restaurants I have worked in, petty theft was common. We’d go to clear tables, and the dainty wooden or ivory spoons used to eat the dish might be missing. Waiters would return to refill water or wine glasses, to find the table hadn’t been ‘adequately set’. Whole plates and dishes might go astray. Interestingly, also depicted in Home Alone, was that those who committed the crime were not who you might expect. People who eat at high-end restaurants or travel business class are generally those who can afford it. That means that the items were all the more likely disappearing into Chanel bags or beneath a fur coat. Regardless of their social status or financial standing, individuals within the environment of a restaurant or bar often exhibit a distinctive sense of entitlement that isn't observed in other settings. Even this chef steals from restaurants he is inspired by, which should be an act of treason! I’ve brought this subject up to friends in the industry and it seems every restaurant deals with it.

Restaurateur, Ahmed Fahkry from Note Restaurant and Winebar stated, “Aside from the break-in (last week) where they stole cash, people love stealing Aesop products, poo drops and/ or bathroom spray. Wine glasses and cocktail glasses have gone missing a lot too. I think there could be a feeling that people are paying a lot for their meals and drinks, and feel it’s no sweat for us to lose something seemingly insignificant. Maybe some people just really like something and want a memento, again thinking it’s nothing for the restaurant to lose a glass or a napkin.”

When asked what the primary reason for the theft was, pizza chef Reggie White said, “It’s petty pilfering rather than big items. Primarily down to booze. Things seem funny at the time. It's a tale as old as time. We had gold spoons served with the budino (dessert) in Pi Pizzeria, and they were always walking. Think of people stealing traffic cones. Even the ‘open/closed’ sign in Bambino’s (the slice shop where Reggie is currently working) got stolen.”

The Duke of Wellington led his forces to victory over Napoleon in the Battle of Waterloo. For over 40 years in Glasgow, it has become a tradition to find the Duke with a traffic cone on his head. Ironically, the Duke was born in Dublin.

Stealing at restaurants is increased by a combination of alcohol and the sentiment of having paid a significant amount for something. Diners feel a sense of entitlement and ownership from an ‘I have already paid for this’ point of view. In most cases, it’s not that they steal out of necessity, but because the act of pocketing something is exciting and comical, so much so that the stolen object becomes memorabilia of the experience.

Although you may have considered the financial implications of lifting something from a bar or a restaurant, have you thought about the practical ones? When items are stolen from bars and restaurants, it has a direct impact on operations. Without the right amount of cutlery, glassware or napkins, it can be extremely difficult for these establishments to operate smoothly and effectively. Why not buy more? Many restaurants struggle to make over 10% profit, many operating between 2-4%. The items guests typically take a liking to are often bespoke and are a significant investment for these restaurants, designed to enhance the guest experience. Stealing from them puts everything at risk. You’ll be surprised by the consequences… Suddenly with equipment needing to be recycled during service, dishwashers are required to clean faster. Instead of all the cutlery being ready ahead of service, a lack of ware means staff must leave their duties and polish them during service. Subsequently, front of house now spends less time with customers. Stress levels increase. The guests feel it. The kitchen feels it. The experience is compromised. As a result, because the restaurant is focused on this obstacle, they have lost their primary purpose and focus, and the number 1 reason to which most restaurants shut their doors is the failure to connect with people. That’s right, most restaurants go out of business, not because the food isn’t good, but because businesses don’t give the customer a third of what they are paying for, and that is an emotional connection. How we make people feel about themselves in that space, whether that is to make them feel seen, welcome, loved, invincible, or even an inconvenience, is fundamental to understanding hospitality. If the staff don’t have the tools to deliver their 100%, why should we expect it?