![\"Adam](\"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/TFL-L-restaurant-theft2.jpg\")
Adam Fine, managing partner of Tarpon River Brewing, with a stolen and returned Halloween mummy at Tarpon River Brewing in Fort Lauderdale. (Carline Jean\/South Florida Sun Sentinel)<\/p>\nSouth Florida restaurant-goers admit it: They love the thrill of the steal.<\/p>\n
Spoons, steak knives, pizza cutters, sugar packets, napkin dispensers, glassware, ramekins: If it\u2019s on the table, the temptation to snatch is often too great to resist.<\/p>\n
\u201cI ran a place that had the coolest little cube-shaped salt and pepper shakers,\u201d Boynton Beach resident Sean Lubeski wrote in \u201cLet\u2019s Eat, South Florida,\u201d the Sun Sentinel\u2019s foodie Facebook group. \u201cI ordered two dozen replacements almost weekly because of how many got stolen. Silver check presenters, cutlery. They take it all.\u201d<\/p>\n
In these days of high menu prices, restaurateurs say such pilfering is a contributor to their spiraling list of expenses.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery little thing can help or hurt,\u201d said John Noble Masi, an assistant professor at the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at Florida International University. \u201cMany operators perceive guest theft as a growing and costly challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although theft by diners is a source of anxiety for proprietors, it\u2019s a point of pride for some patrons. Here\u2019s what some confessed to filching in \u201cLet\u2019s Eat\u201d in response to a Sun Sentinel question.<\/p>\n
The truth comes out<\/p>\n
\u201cNot proud of it, but, I\u2019ve taken the small glasses with logos used at breweries for flights.\u201d \u2014 Amanda Hirschel, Weston<\/p>\n
\u201cI have stolen so many knives from Council Oak (at the Seminole Hard Rock) back in the day (red handle). I know\u2026 not a good thing but at least I would tell the bartender, \u2018I\u2019m takin\u2019 this knife!\u2019 \u201d \u2014 Karen Koontz, Fort Lauderdale<\/p>\n
\u201cWe took our then-6-month-old to Aruba. When we flew home the next day, we found a utensil and cloth napkin that our daughter shoved to the bottom of the diaper bag pocket. I still feel awful about it three decades later.\u201d \u2014 Beth Anne Gidlund Carr, Coral Springs<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve accidentally taken condiment cups, napkins and maybe a spoon or two. If possible, I\u2019ll return them\u2026\u201d \u2014 Christy Minshew Henderson, Boca Raton<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve paid for a few pint glasses over the years\u2026..but I\u2019ve got dozens.\u201d \u2014 Ed Fulop, North Palm Beach<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, one of the goldish cloth napkins from Olive Garden many years ago (they don\u2019t use cloth napkins anymore). I still have it and use it all the time.\u201d \u2014 Haley Hartjes, Gainesville<\/p>\n
\u201cOne time: a salt and pepper shaker from Paris. My co-worker collected them. I regret stealing that to this day.\u201d \u2014 Joann Rawn, Wellington<\/p>\n
\u201cI got really drunk at a restaurant and took home their ceviche dish \u2026I\u2019m not proud of it, but it happened.\u201d \u2014 Alyssa Arena, Pompano Beach<\/p>\n
Why, people?<\/p>\n
Masi, the FIU professor, said some restaurant-goers see tableware as either a \u201csouvenir\u201d of their eating-out experience or a way to supplement a collection they have at home.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey say, \u2018I need salt and pepper shakers to complete my silverware,’\u201d they reason, he said.<\/p>\n
Boca Raton therapist Karyn Rosenberg said restaurant pilferers likely rationalize the booty they bring home with an assortment of justifications, ranging from an adrenaline rush to \u201cthe restaurant can do without this\u201d to \u201cI know I\u2019m not a bad person.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a feeling of wanting to get away with something,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re not talking about thieves stealing to support a drug addiction. These are people who can afford to buy a wine glass. They do not think of themselves as thieves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Restaurant owners speak out<\/p>\n
Restaurateurs want customers to think of theft from their point of view. Many are small business owners who want to offer memorable experiences through these accessories but suffer a financial loss and take it personally when the adornments disappear.<\/p>\n
Diana Boga, owner, DUA Champagne & Wine Lounge, Lantana<\/p>\n
Boga said she recently offered a guest a flashy portable hook, decorated with a crystal wine glass, so she could hang her purse under the bar.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen they left, it was gone,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Guests have also taken ramekins, salt shakers and 3D-printed coasters with the restaurant\u2019s name.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t happen too often, but it does happen,\u201d said Boga, whose lounge seats just 20 people. \u201cI notice things because we\u2019re so small.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adam Fine, managing partner of Tarpon River Brewing, with a stolen and returned Halloween mummy at Tarpon River Brewing in Fort Lauderdale. (Carline Jean\/South Florida Sun Sentinel)<\/p>\n
Adam Fine, partner, Tarpon River Brewing, Fort Lauderdale<\/p>\n
Can you imagine someone walking away with half of a 5-foot-tall mummy? Fine said someone took the upper body of a Halloween decoration that was sitting outside the bar five years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople get confident about stealing after they\u2019ve drunk too much,\u201d Fine said.<\/p>\n
His security cameras recorded the heist, although the thief\u2019s face was hazy. He posted the video on social media to \u201cFacebook shame\u201d the crook.<\/p>\n
The mummy was returned anonymously two days later.<\/p>\n
Fine said it\u2019s \u201chard to quantify\u201d how much gets stolen each year. He said pictures have been taken from the brewery\u2019s bathrooms, where there are no cameras so the thief remains unknown.<\/p>\n
He said he learned a lesson from the experience of the disappearing mummy.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow I zip-tie it to the bar,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
![\"Jennifer](\"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/TFL-L-stolen-teaspoons-01.jpeg\")
Jennifer Malone, owner of Aunt Jenn’s Tea & Spice Shop in Wilton Manors, said she used to have about a dozen of these demitasse spoons but is now down to four from her original collection due to theft by patrons. (Jennifer Malone\/courtesy)<\/p>\n
Jennifer Malone, owner, Aunt Jenn\u2019s Tea & Spice Shop, Wilton Manors<\/p>\n
Malone began purchasing china in antique stores 20 years ago, hoping to one day own a tea shop. She started offering afternoon tea parties three years ago with about a dozen demitasse spoons. There are four left.<\/p>\n
\u201cTypically when larger tea parties come in, it\u2019s a bit harder to keep track of what\u2019s going on during a busy service, until after everyone leaves and you start doing dishes and realize they\u2019re missing,\u201d Malone said. \u201cI have not tried recovering them because let\u2019s be realistic: Is a thief going to be honest and tell the truth and return the spoons? Highly doubtful! For current tea parties, I try to take the time to count the cutlery before and after service.\u201d<\/p>\n
Malone told her story on Facebook and was overwhelmed with donations of tea cups, silverware and demitasse spoons, \u201cenough to replenish what I had lost five times over,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheft affects a small business so much more than a corporate location because there is a sentimental attachment to my chinaware and silverware, or at least small business owners take it more personally,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Eddie Pozzuoli, Eddie & Vinny\u2019s, Coral Springs\/Dear Olivia, Parkland & several other restaurants<\/p>\n
In 2023, Pozzuoli noticed a guest exiting one of his restaurants, Prezzo in Palm Beach Gardens, with a to-go bag that was glowing inside.<\/p>\n
The glow resembled the light that emanated from the little battery-powered lamps that were on each table. They cost about $150 each. Pozzuoli confronted her.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was caught by surprise,\u201d he said. \u201cShe said, \u2018I don\u2019t know how it got there.’\u201d<\/p>\n
Pozzuoli said he has learned several lessons about how to handle guest theft over the years. To give patrons fewer opportunities to steal, his servers now clear items such as salt and pepper shakers before the dessert menu comes out.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t expect my team members to be detectives,\u201d he said. \u201cBut if we notice something is gone, we address it.\u201d<\/p>\n
He estimates guest theft costs about $1,000 a year per restaurant. He has pondered whether to have fewer decorations and niceties, such as soap dispensers shaped like mini liquor bottles that a patron stole in 2019 from his now-closed restaurant Tavolino Della Notte in Coral Springs.<\/p>\n
He decided these accessories were important for the overall dining experience. Still, he wonders if guest-thieves give any thought to the restaurant\u2019s perspective.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo people think this stuff doesn\u2019t cost money?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
South Florida restaurant-goers admit it: They love the thrill of the steal. Spoons, steak knives, pizza cutters, sugar packets, napkin dispensers, glassware, ramekins: If it\u2019s on the table, the temptation to snatch is often too great to resist. \u201cI ran a place that had the coolest little cube-shaped salt and pepper shakers,\u201d Boynton Beach resident<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":56939,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[9,650,7,8,1076,376],"class_list":["post-56938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-restaurants","tag-food-and-drink","tag-latest-headlines","tag-restaurant","tag-restaurants","tag-social","tag-things-to-do"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/vive.im\/@dnc\/117610017226629167","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56938","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56938"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56938\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56939"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56938"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56938"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/restaurants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56938"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}