According to a Facebook post by TungLok Group, a woman allegedly stole approximately $86 worth of roast duck from one of their restaurant outlets on 22 April 2023.
The post included CCTV footage, which showed the woman hanging around the cashier and pick-up counter where orders intended for food delivery riders were placed before she carried out the act.
The restaurant stated that the woman took an order that was meant for food delivery riders from the pick-up counter at their Duckland outlet located in Paya Lebar Quarter (PLQ) mall.
Ran Off with Roast Duck Order Worth $86
TungLok Group’s Facebook post, which has since amassed over 5,800 views, poked fun at the woman who stole their order from their Duckland outlet, suggesting that she only committed the act as she simply couldn’t resist their delicious duck dishes.
The incident occurred at their Duckland branch, renowned for its signature Irish duck dish. The dish is known to be unique as it is a hybrid of Peking and Aylesbury duck, bred for its dense, porous skin.
The CCTV footage captured the woman, who was surprisingly well-dressed for the act in all-black attire and a mask, looking around discreetly before grabbing the order from the pick-up counter.
After the theft, she left the restaurant, denying the rightful owner the opportunity to savour the $86 worth of roasted duck.
According to TungLok Group’s Assistant Vice-President, Mr Steve Aw, this is the first incident of its kind since the outlet’s opening in 2019.
He confirmed that the outlet prepared another order immediately after learning of the theft.
The bag contained two regular roasted duck dishes, neither belonging to the woman as she did not place any orders at the restaurant.
Mr Aw also stated that such incidents were rare as the restaurant’s staff do not usually leave orders unattended.
However, the woman was “fortunate” that the restaurant was short-staffed and exceedingly busy when she visited the outlet.
Not the First Time the Restaurant Encountered Peculiar Customers
While it is the first time the restaurant has experienced someone stealing their orders, it is not the first time they have dealt with less-than-ideal customers in their outlet.
Just last year, in 2022, a man refused to pay for his Irish duck dish after eating at the same Duckland restaurant in PLQ.
The man allegedly claimed that the dish he received was not made with Irish duck after only taking a quick glance at the dish.
He complained to the staff and manager before leaving the restaurant without paying for the “bogus” duck dish.
However, a few days later, he returned to settle the bill after the restaurant’s social media post about him went viral.
According to the restaurant, the man had wrongly accused their PLQ outlet of not serving Irish ducks as advertised.
He had based this accusation on a previous visit to another Duckland branch in 2020, where he had received a fattier duck.
TungLok Group acknowledged that Irish ducks typically have more fat.
However, they have since decreased the fat content in their preparation techniques with the aid of technological advancements in their cooking equipment.
This was achieved by regulating the fat they retained in the ducks during cooking. The restaurant made these improvements after receiving multiple customer requests for them to do.
As a result, the man was thus served a duck that looked “skinnier” in appearance than the one he ate in 2020.
TungLok Group did not report the stolen order incident to the police, as they deemed it not serious enough.
Instead, they chose to upload the CCTV footage on Facebook to remind their colleagues to be vigilant and prevent future cases of food theft.
While TungLok Group was being very kind by not enforcing further action towards the woman, it is worth noting that under section 379 of the Penal Code, theft offenders can face a fine, up to three years of imprisonment, or both.
However, for first-time offenders, a community-based sentence may be imposed instead of a fine or jail time for minor offences.
Community-based sentencing is suitable for less serious offences such as stealing low-value items. Theft offences are considered more serious when the offences have been repeated.
Offenders who committed these ‘minor’ crimes may receive a day reporting order, which would require them to report to a day reporting officer regularly for three to 12 months.
First-time offenders may also be ordered to perform supervised community work or service for a set period.
However, the offender must first prove to the court that they are physically and mentally capable of performing community service.
For more severe crimes, first-time offenders may be incarcerated for up to 14 days.