13/10/2026
There’s a saying in hospitality: “If it’s not bolted down, they’ll steal it.”
We’ve always argued that actually, no, people CAN have nice things. We shouldn’t have to treat every customer like a potential thief just because a minority can’t behave themselves.
It’s why we’ve always tried to do things a little differently, even down to things like using proper glass straws in some of our cocktails.
Last week, we served six cocktails with glass straws to the same group. All six straws were stolen. 🙄
And it’s not just us. Ask anyone in hospitality about the sheer amount of glasses, flower pots and other completely pointless things that disappear from their premises.
Apparently, when you’ve had a few drinks, stealing something that costs a business money becomes the funniest thing in the world. Like we’re all suddenly two years old.
But our latest disappearing act has really taken the biscuit.
Our rechargeable candles.
Candles that are quite literally useless without the charging station they sit on.
What exactly is the plan here? Take one home, admire it for a few hours and then send it to the landfill when the battery dies? 🤦🏻♀️
We’ve actually gone to the lengths of checking CCTV, tracing where they’ve ended up, liaising with other venues and physically retrieving our them from the people who stole them.
And if you think that’s petty, well… we’re just matching energy! 🤣
And I think that’s what frustrates us. It’s not even just the cost, although these little things add up to a ridiculous amount over the course of a year.
It’s the mentality.
Why does somebody providing you with a nice environment, nice glasses, nice candles and a bit of atmosphere somehow make those things fair game to take home?
We still believe people should be able to have nice things.
We just wish grown adults would stop giving us reasons to bolt them down!
On a humble note, Hospitality businesses aren’t just losing the value of a few stolen objects. They’re being forced to stop providing the little extras that make places special.
