Malaysian family caught “stealing” plates of meat in Bintulu hotpot restaurant

SARAWAK, MALAYSIA: The owner of a hotpot restaurant in Bintulu, Sarawak, recently took to social media to express outrage after a family was caught on CCTV stuffing food to take out of the store.

In a Facebook post published on Tuesday (10 Oct), the owner conveyed disappointment regarding the audacity of the family, comprising two adults and three children, for committing this act.

The incident took place last Sunday (8 Oct) at 2:30 pm when the family took advantage of the ‘Happy Hour’ all-you-can-eat promotion at Husky Billion Steamboat & BBQ.

They ordered 250 plates of pork and 350 plates of lamb, amounting to RM163.30 (US$34.6), with adults being charged RM39.42 (US$8.35) per person, RM26.82 (US$5.7) for children, and a 5% discount of RM8.60 (US$1.8).

The restaurant, Husky Group Bintulu, had served this family of five as evidenced by a photo and the bill.

The owner initiated the post by stating, “It’s difficult for me to swallow this, so I have to tell everyone about it,” and went on to express his disbelief at the theft committed by a family, particularly with children present.

The owner described the act as premeditated and stressed that this would be the first and last time they would publicly address such behaviour of their customers.

He also mentioned that the patron should consider himself fortunate that his identity was not revealed.

The owner highlighted the close-knit community of Bintulu, Sarawak, where people recognize one another.

Additionally, he revealed that despite being in the food business for eight years, this was the first time he had experienced such an incident.

When speaking to China Press about the incident, the owner, surnamed Zhang, mentioned that he and his staff initially assumed the family were simply hearty eaters due to the large meat order.

However, their assumption was proven wrong when they reviewed the CCTV footage, which showed the family covertly packing the meat into plastic bags.

Zhang speculated about their premeditation and questioned if they intended to take the meat home to cook.

To underscore his point, the business owner emphasized, “My hotpot can be eaten in the store. But don’t pack the ingredients secretly and take them away!”

Restaurants offering free-for-all buffets typically implement policies requiring all food to be consumed on the premises, and not taken away. Additionally, customers may be charged for excessive wastage.

In the aftermath of the theft, Zhang stated in his Facebook post that he was disheartened by the family’s actions, particularly their teaching their children to steal.

He suggested that this incident serves as a reminder to parents to set a good example for their children.

He also told China Press that he’s considering filing a police report, despite the customer’s offer to compensate for the theft.