DELHI FLICKS FOR KICKS
From dips to forks and an expensive bottle of alcohol, Delhi loves to steal at eateries and owners aren't amused
Recently, the owner of a Khan Market restaurant, Town Hall, put up a video clip of a group of young diners stealing a bottle of expensive Johnnie Walker Blue Label, sending social media in a tizzy. Shortly after, he also put up the names of the offenders, who came from affluent families. Following the public shaming, they quickly apologised and a compromise was reached, after which the restaurateurs pulled down the video.
However, this is not a one-off case. Delhiites seem to enjoy shop-lifting for various reasons. Varun Puri, owner of Lights Camera Action, says, "Stealing at restaurants is a common practice. We have often noticed that groups of young people do it just for fun. From forks to dips — they flick anything which is handy."
Agrees Umang Tewari, owner of Out of the Box cafe. "Some do it for kicks, some to impress girls, and some because they really like the stuff but don't want to make the effort of going and buying it themselves. In the past three months, all our ashtrays have been stolen."
You may think no one gets to know, well, think again! "Some guests think no one's watching. What they don't realise is that everyone has CCTV cameras now. Sometimes we don't want to embarrass guests; sometimes we call the police to take further action," warns Prashant Karan, owner of High5.
And Priyank Sukhija of Townhouse cafe says the organisation should take action depending on what one is trying to steal. "Once, our customer was seen stealing a bottle from our bar; we didn't kick him out, for he clearly did it for kicks and was our loyal customer. But, if someone tries to steal belongings of another guest, we immediately take them to task and lodge an FIR."
They rue that despite the fact that most of the guests can afford what they steal, they still choose to flick it. "There is no nobility in stealing," says Karan. Bhanu Nehra, owner of Schengen & Mia Bella, adds, "Stealing is nothing to be proud of ! Whether small or big — it is still theft! We work for 12 hours to give guests a great experience, please respect us and yourself."
Stealing is nothing to be proud of! Whether small or big — it is still theft! We work for 12 hours to give guests a great experience; please respect us and yourself
-Bhanu Nehra, restaurateur