Caught on Camera: Man steals tip jar from Virginia Beach restaurant

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A tip jar sits right by the register at Bubba’s Shrimp Shack.

It’s something owner Kendall Turbeville said the restaurant has had for years.

The tip jar hasn’t caused any issues until recently.

“At least once a month, we have someone stick their hand in it,” she said. “We had an interview … and after we interviewed him, we noticed there was a little money missing. We watched the camera and it ended up being the interviewee.”

She finally decided to get a tip jar with a lid, but it didn’t stop someone from stealing.

“It was someone that came in to go to the restroom,” Turbeville said. “He took it upon himself that no one was around and decided to scope it out and take it with him… Since they couldn’t get their hand in it, they decided to take the whole thing.”

It was all caught on camera. You can see the thief eyeing the jar and quickly snatching it while no one was looking.

“It’s incredibly frustrating. That’s my employee’s money. They worked hard for it. For someone to feel they can just take it from them, it’s really sad,” she said.

Inside the jar was around $30. Turbeville said that’s a good amount for the morning and afternoon rush. All the money is split between the employees.

“It’s a part of my employee’s income as far as gas, groceries, and their paycheck. It’s something they rely on,” she said.

Her message to the thieves: “I’m sorry you felt the need. You feel it is OK to do that. I think it’s sad you think it’s OK to do that. That is my employee’s money. Just know you aren’t stealing from a business. You are stealing from people.”

She hopes this video will show people the realities of the restaurant business and stop people from taking from local businesses. She said maybe someone knows this person and can call them out for stealing the jar.

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