Jamie Oliver says 30,000 napkins per month depart his restaurants in diner's pockets and handbags. But they're far from the weirdest things people steal from the celebrity chef's restaurants. That honor goes to toilet handles, believe it or not.
Oliver told the Radio Times:
Every restaurant of mine has the old-fashioned Thomas Crapper toilets because I've always thought they look wicked. But they're really expensive and we've had to have the handles and flushers welded on because people were unscrewing them and nicking them. Honestly, some people were coming out for a meal and going home with half a toilet. Bonkers!
The chef attributes this uptick in strange thefts to simple economic hardship during a time of recession. Maybe these diners think the price of their meal entitles them to a little more than dinner. The specific napkins in question, blue and white cotton numbers from Jamie's Italian, can be purchased at the restaurant in packs of four for £8. But that doesn't seem to keep diners from occasionally selling them on eBay individually for up to £7.49 a piece.
Oliver's publicist later clarified, saying that while they do see frequent napkin theft, Jamie may have been exaggerating the number a bit.
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Posted: 10/16/2012 2:30 pm EDT Updated: 10/16/2012 2:30 pm EDT