Ex-Waiter Faces Prison Over €70k Restaurant Theft

A court in Santa Cruz de Tenerife is currently hearing a case that highlights how easily businesses can be exploited when internal controls are weak and employees are overly trusted. A former head waiter from a well-known restaurant in Tenerife is facing serious charges, including a request for five years in prison, a large fine, and having to repay €70,764.90. He is accused of continuously stealing cash from the restaurant between May 2016 and June 2018.

Prosecutors, along with the restaurant owners, claim the head waiter used his position to steal. He was in charge of the dining room and the cash register. They say he would spot customers paying in cash, then cancel those orders in the computer system and pocket the money. Even though the restaurant counted its cash daily, this alleged scheme went on for months without being noticed.

The alleged theft was only discovered by chance. One of the owners was having lunch at the restaurant and noticed that two tables, which he had seen pay in cash, had their orders canceled in the system. When he asked for a detailed check of the accounts, they found an extra €268 in the till – exactly the amount of the canceled orders. A deeper look then uncovered a pattern of many canceled orders that had already been paid for, totaling over €3,000 in just one month.

The owners testified that when they confronted the employee with the evidence, he seemed sorry but didn't directly admit to stealing. A few days later, he reportedly messaged his former bosses on WhatsApp. He asked them not to fire him, offered to pay the money back in installments, and said he had problems due to a gambling addiction.

An expert accounting report, used as evidence, backs up the prosecution's case. The report shows that order cancellations at the restaurant jumped by 59% during the time the accused worked there. Interestingly, these cancellations dropped by a similar amount whenever he was on holiday or sick leave. The expert estimated the total alleged stolen money to be almost €17,000 in 2016, nearly €33,500 in 2017, and about €21,000 in 2018. This report highlights how these suspicious cancellations increased after he started working at the restaurant.

The accused, however, denied stealing the large sum he is charged with. He did admit to giving customers free items without permission. He claimed that when asked to return money, he thought they were referring to the cost of these freebies, which he estimated at between €3,000 and €4,000. The outcome of this case is expected to be important for how cash is managed and the need for strong control systems in the restaurant industry.