13 Of The Most Commonly Stolen Items From Restaurants, According To Staff

One thing seems to be common across all restaurants, whether they're casual establishments or high-end eateries, is that customers seem unable to stop themselves from pocketing certain items. Even celebrities have mentioned the undeniable temptation to steal from restaurants, from Alton Brown, whose theft includes check trays, to Bill Murray, whose sticky fingers seem drawn to French fries glistening on strangers' plates.

When it comes to dining etiquette rules people should never break, thievery isn't often mentioned — but perhaps it should be. Of all dining faux pas, stealing might rank as the highest, making restaurant thieves some of the worst people to dine with. Ask any eatery employee and they will tell you, if it's not screwed, glued down, or nailed to the wall, someone will attempt to take it, despite how peculiar or unwieldy the item might be.

From branded dishware to the occasional bathroom sink, diners love to abscond with strange culinary keepsakes. However, some items are more prone to theft than others. Whether it be tabletop souvenirs or random pieces of decor, you may find yourself surprised to discover exactly what some of the most frequently stolen items from restaurants are.

Barware tends to top the list when it comes to the most commonly stolen items from restaurants, with diners pocketing all manner of glassware from pint glasses to shot glasses. Such is the reason few restaurants will serve you a Moscow mule in a copper mug these days without a deposit like an ID card. While it might seem like a victimless crime, stealing barware does cause a headache for staff when running low on glasses, especially when certain drinks are served in unique vessels, like whiskey tumblers or Bordeaux glasses.

Glasses that are unique or distinctive seem particularly prone to stealing, especially from higher-end eateries. At the New York city restaurant LouLou, located in Chelsea, the owner observed his bird-shaped cocktail glasses going missing so frequently that he had to increase the price of the drinks to accommodate the cost. The result? An increase of $2 per drink, per his interview with the New York Post. Restaurant employees on Reddit noted similar occurrences, with staff claiming customers will steal everything from custom shot glasses that look like miniature mason jars to specialty beer glasses.

While one of the less costly items restaurant patrons tend to steal, pinched pens are considered one of the most annoying items stolen by servers. Although branded pens are considered a marketing cost by many restaurant owners, not all restaurant staff are so forgiving. While some restaurants may equip their servers with branded pens for the taking, others expect servers to stock their own pen supply. Although it's not a substantial cost if a few pens go missing, the true dilemma comes during the rush period. Just imagine having only a few pens left and 12 checks to distribute.

Servers agree, the pen issue is one of the biggest pet peeves of all stolen items. One Redditor says they don't care about most missing items except their pen, exclaiming that if a diner takes it, "I will hunt you like Liam Neeson!" Another commenter agrees, noting customers can take anything else that they can sneak out and they won't care, but touching their pens is a sure way to upset them. Given this, it's good to remember that if you want to avoid offending your server, be sure to leave the pen with the check.

While you might think pointy objects wouldn't be an item easily purloined, restaurant staff heartily disagree. Steak knives are reported to be a frequently stolen item by many restaurant employees. Diners agree, with one Redditor claiming his grandmother had "a whole slew of [Outback Steakhouse] knives." Although standard knives going missing might not be a big deal, eateries with costly cutlery do not appreciate the banditry. One steakhouse divulged to the New York Post that its embossed steak knives were stolen regularly, despite the fact that the restaurant sold them to folks wanting the collectibles. The result? The restaurant stopped embossing the knives with its logo.

While some staff might look the other way, others have been known to add the cost of the knife to the bill, with one restaurant employee noting they added a $25 fee to a diner's bill when they saw a steak knife in their to-go bag. Another restaurateur in California has even gone as far as to add the cost of his steak knives to the menu, charging $950 for a steak knife at the restaurant APL, as this is the minimum amount for a felony in California. Hopefully this sways the potential thieves to look for more affordable knife sets elsewhere.

Mug theft is a particularly egregious crime in many cafés and breakfast-oriented eateries. It's a commonly stolen item at places like Waffle House and IHOP, and even servers have admitted to pinching coffee mugs from chain restaurants, with one quipping on Reddit that "a good mug is a good mug." Restaurant staff often report branded mugs as a regularly stolen item in online forums, with some saying that their supply dwindles after just a couple of months.

One especially brazen IHOP customer was known to stick coffee cups in her purse when they were brought out with the carafe and tell her server she never got a cup for her coffee. This wasn't just a one-time occurrence either. The exasperated staff member proclaimed it happened every time the diner came in and only stopped when management confronted her.

Some restaurants have tried to curb mug theft by offering coffee cups for sale. Still, the strategy doesn't always work. Despite selling custom mugs at Cook St. Paul in Minnesota, the owner reported to the Twin Cities Pioneer Press that around 12 of its custom mugs continued to go missing each month, amassing to more than 300 missing mugs in total. At a manufacturing cost of $10 per mug, that's no small amount.

It seems culinary items aren't the only items customers consider up-for-grabs in restaurants. Several restaurants report plants being stolen from tables, patios, and restaurant exteriors. These leafy heists range from customers pilfering tiny succulents and entire pots to those ripping the plants clean out of the landscaping.

At Catalina Mexican Restaurant in Las Vegas, surveillance footage caught a robber putting on gloves and pulling out the plants from the front of the building before driving away. Think this is brash? At Colo's Southern Café in Sacramento, one plant thief got particularly creative, loading the greenery into a recycling bin to transport it. In response, the owners comically told CNN News Source, "If they would have asked, hey, we would have shared."

While some restaurant owners address the crime with humor, other eateries find the theft far more devastating. In Cape Coral, Florida, the owners of Fins Seafood and Dive Bar had 25 potted Clusia plants disappear in the night just before its grand reopening. The cost of these pilfered plants, which separated the back patio from the parking area, was valued at $75 each, totaling $1,875 in theft. Other times, the loss is more personal. After experiencing the theft of a 40-year-old jade plant gifted to the mother of the manager at Pei's Mandarin in Cedar Rapids, the owners offered up a $250 reward for its return.

It seems seasoning isn't safe from thieves either. Salt and pepper shakers stand as another frequently stolen item reported by restaurant staff, with some customers going as far as to even snatch grinders and pepper mills (which have promptly shown up on the bill afterwards). Specialty salt and pepper shakers, like those made from small Corona beer bottles, seem especially prone to thievery.

One employee on Reddit bemoaned the theft of such items at the small eatery they work at where items are stocked in a limited supply, noting how such burglary is much harder on small businesses than it is on larger corporations. The exasperated employee notes how the eatery started with eight pairs of ceramic salt and pepper shakers, only to end up with two salt shakers and seven pepper shakers.

Still, there are others who seem to like pocketing seasoning vessels just for the sake of it. One commenter noted the restaurant's salt and pepper shakers kept going missing, despite being basic ones purchased from the dollar store. While some restaurants don't care, others have been actively addressing the theft by charging customers for missing items. Bistro Été in New York, whose salt containers are made from teak, has gone as far as to add a $60 charge to the bill after catching customers on camera stealing them.

Ever wonder what you should do if you drop your silverware when dining out? Well, the answer definitely isn't to pocket it. Waitstaff have reported customers stealing everything from oyster forks to espresso spoons at eateries, much to the dismay of staff who have to reorder them constantly. Another worker at a seafood restaurant lamented the theft of crab crackers.

One Atlanta restaurant noticed that one item went missing more than any other: the iridescent dessert spoons. The unique piece of cutlery was intended to add novelty to the dessert experience and seemed to vanish quickly, per an interview with The Atlantic Journal-Constitution. The inevitable outcome of this situation? Going back to normal spoons.

But it's not just specialty silverware that seems to tempt diners to nab a souvenir. Standard flatware goes missing as well. One restaurant staff member even spotted a woman grabbing handfuls of it off the silverware tray, which they promptly asked her to replace. Another restaurant employee described a woman who stole all the silverware off her table, stuffing her purse so completely that a few forks and spoons fell out of her bag as she reached in to grab her wallet to pay.

Some customers with sticky fingers have graduated from stealing tableware to purloining pieces from the floors and walls, including trending light fixtures or framed artwork. Some items have even been recovered only to be stolen again. After a rare magazine cover featuring Cindy Crawford was lifted from the bathroom of American Bar in New York City, the art thieves were promptly contacted. The burglars — two women who publicized their crime on social media — returned the stolen items the next day, only for the artwork to go missing again, according to an interview with the New York Post.

Savvy restaurateurs have started to combat the theft issue by placing artwork above eye level, making swiping the pieces more difficult. Others have implemented anti-theft picture hangers to mitigate crimes. But restaurant robbers don't stop at art theft. Sculptures have also disappeared from eateries. In Swanton, Ohio, a large metal mariachi sculpture was taken from the patio of Loma Linda Restaurant, prompting the restaurant to post a picture of the stolen figure beside the phrase, "Bring Me Home!!"

Other servers have spied customers nabbing small throw pillows from the patio, recounting that the patrons tossed the pillows over the patio fence to grab them as they left the restaurant. The list of stolen items only gets longer and wilder as it goes on. Restaurant staff recount that audacious patrons have also attempted to steal candle holders, chairs or barstools, patio umbrellas, and even a large glass and metal patio lantern, proving that customers really will steal just about anything.

Strangely enough, caddies seem to be another commonly stolen item at eateries, with diners walking out with nearly every kind you can think of. One Redditor caught a man attempting to leave with a six-bottle barbecue caddy in a plastic to-go bag along with a hot sauce bottle. Another server recounted seeing a woman taking a full caddy equipped with ketchup, mustard, salt and pepper shakers, napkins, and silverware out to her car.

Other customers seem to have more of a sweet tooth when it comes to theft, stealing sugar caddies filled with various sweeteners. A waitress at a '50s-style diner noted her jelly caddy went missing, along with a ketchup bottle. One wonders why these sticky-fingered diners feel compelled to snag such cumbersome objects. Perhaps it's for the sheer thrill of it all? Or perhaps mayonnaise that's stolen tastes better than store-bought? It must be so, or else these restaurants are serving up some seriously tasty condiments.

While you might think designs with logos would disincentivize theft, it seems the opposite is true. Instead, items featuring restaurant names seem to be especially vulnerable to stealing due to their collectible nature. At one restaurant brewery, a staff member noted on Reddit that the water cups with logos, which are designed to resemble beer cans, are often stolen.

The problem is so common that some restaurants have had to remove the eatery's name from items to decrease thievery. One online discussion on Quora recounted a bar in the '70s that attempted to curb the stealing of their glasses by etching them "stolen from the XXXX brothers at the Ship Bar." The result? The theft increased twofold, with the commenter noting, "it was quite fashionable to collect a full set."

The psychology behind this particular thievery is likely due to customers wanting a souvenir when visiting popular or notable eateries — something restaurants are now trying to offer in terms of other purchasable items like restaurant recipe books. Still, it's hard to say if customers will be satisfied with buying a keepsake instead of pocketing it.

Ramekins are one of the most frequently stolen items at restaurants, with staff noticing customers often place metal condiment cups in their to-go boxes, whether intentional or not. Servers seem split on this issue, with some caring little if you take a small, metal ramekin home with your leftovers. One server humorously noted, "Don't ask me for a to-go ramekin at the last minute after I've already dropped boxes and credit card slips. Just take the ramekin." Still, not all employees seem to agree.

One server whose customer forgot her leftovers opened the box and noticed a ramekin of ranch among the contents. The restaurant employee promptly removed the ramekin, leaving the food in case the diner returned. The customer did, and seemed quite perplexed to see the ramekin had been removed, asking the staff member if they were sure this was indeed their salad, much to their server's amusement.

Bowls are another commonly missing item from eateries, with staff mentioning stolen rice bowls, soup crocks, and butter cups as frequently lifted items from diners' tables. Even small cast-iron pans have a way of finding themselves among customers' belongings. Even stranger, some diners are quite proud of their haul. One woman boldly displayed her ramekin collection on social media before taking down the post, showing a collection of dozens of ceramic ramekins, metal sauce cups, and even a gravy boat.

Despite their common nature, customers seem particularly inclined to pocket condiment bottles, with staff mentioning ketchup, mustard, Tabasco, and hot sauce bottles as some of the most commonly stolen items. The thievery seems to happen across all types, whether the bottles are your standard French's mustard or something fancier, like a local hot sauce.

At one New York Pizzeria, the tiny bottles of hot honey were stolen so frequently that the owner began supplying larger, uglier containers of the condiment to dissuade thieves and make stealing more difficult to accomplish, per an interview with the New York Post. Chipotle observed so many of its Tabasco sauce bottles vanish at locations near college campuses, it launched a complimentary "Things You 'Borrow' Kit" filled with the items Chipotle customers regularly steal (including Tabasco sauce) that was given away as a promotion in 2019.

Smaller restaurants don't find the burglary as amusing, however. One barbecue eatery near Sacramento took to social media, noting they've caught customers walking out with entire squeeze bottles of barbecue sauce (via CBS News). Despite condiments being a less costly item, the loss is still a major pain point for restaurant owners, especially for family-run businesses.

Customers aren't only stealing items from restaurant tables, it seems; some are also stealing things from restrooms. While one of the most frequently reported stolen items is toilet paper, entitled diners don't stop here. Staff have also experienced customers lifting hand soap, lotion, and hairspray, sometimes even catching them in the act. One employee even noted the strange occurrence of someone stealing the toilet paper holder — a feat that required tools to remove.

The list of stolen bathroom items doesn't stop here. Other servers have seen air fresheners going missing from the restroom, with another employee stating an especially brave customer decided to pocket the restaurant's scented wax burner. Candles are yet another eagerly stolen item, despite being messy and hot-to-the-touch. The chef of a Brooklyn-based, Michelin-rated restaurant told the New York Post that he had caught numerous patrons departing with the bathroom's charcoal and lemongrass-scented candles — sometimes even going as far as to pour out the melted wax in the bathroom sink first.

Restaurants have responded in various ways. At one New York eatery, staff stopped stocking bottles of soap due to diners taking them home, instead installing soap dispensers that were attached to the walls. Others have resorted to stocking a single roll of toilet paper per stall. While customers might feel justified taking toiletries after paying an especially pricey bill, their thievery really is self-defeating. Many eateries mitigate the cost of theft by marking up menu prices, which means you'll likely just end up paying the restaurant back next time.