A sophisticated thief, dubbed the 'Fine Dining Bandit', is believed to be targeting London's top restaurants after a series of brazen early morning thefts saw over £1,100 worth of premium ingredients stolen from their doorsteps.
The Chelsea Langoustine Heist
The crime spree first made headlines when Elystan Street, a one-Michelin-starred restaurant in Chelsea, released CCTV footage of a woman calmly picking up a box of fresh langoustines valued at £300 from outside its kitchen at 8am on Tuesday. The footage, posted online by furious chef and owner Phil Howard, went viral and showed the suspect, dressed in jeans and what appeared to be slippers, walking away with the day's shellfish delivery.
Phil Howard did not mince words on Instagram, writing: 'Caught stealing our precious langoustines this morning - you low-life scum bag. Hope you rot in hell with your other hard working mates.'
A Pattern Emerges at Galvin La Chapelle
The publicity from the Chelsea incident prompted staff at another acclaimed London eatery, Galvin La Chapelle in Spitalfields, to re-examine their own security footage from November 4. What they discovered confirmed their suspicions: they too had fallen victim to what appears to be the same woman.
Their CCTV shows a hooded figure in a white top, black trousers, and trainers darting up and down steps, rummaging through deliveries before making off with an £800 haul of high-value meat. An industry insider confirmed the connection, stating: 'The same woman appears to have stolen £800 worth of meat from the delivery, using an almost identical method to the Chelsea theft now making headlines.'
The Cost to Restaurants and a National Problem
For the restaurants, the financial sting is significant, especially in the current challenging economic climate. Becky McLaughlin, restaurant manager at Elystan Street, highlighted the impact, saying: 'It's a cost that somebody just doesn't realise, where it's now going to have to be swallowed. In these times it's incredibly different for restaurants so things like this can be so damaging which people don't realise.'
These incidents are part of a wider national crisis of parcel theft. Alarming police data reveals that in the 12 months to July, a staggering £666.5 million worth of packages were stolen from doorsteps across the UK, a sharp increase from £377 million the year before. This has affected nearly five million households, with so-called 'porch pirates' striking in record numbers.
Elystan Street has appealed to the public for help in identifying the suspect. The Metropolitan Police has been contacted for comment regarding the connected investigations.
