A Coral Gables restaurant’s kindness turned sour when an elderly man was seen on surveillance stealing cash from the tip jar. Local 10 reports that Hermanos Cantina Grill staff had prepared a free meal for the man, only for him to take money intended for the employees.
"He was asking for, like, to work but that was just an excuse. It was just an excuse to make her go back there and steal the money," restaurant part owner Dennis Fernandez told Local 10. A surveillance video shows the man reaching into the tip jar three times while the manager was preparing his free meal.
Fernandez explained that the manager, in good faith, offered the man a meal, unaware that he would take cash meant for change. "She paid for it and that is even worse and that is what makes me really sad," Fernandez said in the Local 10 interview.
According to WSVN, Fernandez expressed sadness over the incident, noting that the staff work hard to support their families. "That he doesn't have to steal from workers that spend eight, 10 hours working to feed their families," Fernandez told WSVN.
Despite the theft, Fernandez said they did not report it to the police but focused on preventing future incidents. The restaurant has since purchased a locked tip jar.
