Second Michelin-starred restaurant speaks out following theft
Chris Galvin has spoken out after CCTV footage from Elystan Street showed a woman stealing a box of langoustines from outside the Chelsea restaurant earlier this week, prompting other chefs to highlight similar incidents at their own sites.
Elystan Street first shared its footage on Tuesday morning, showing a woman in slippers and jeans picking up a clearly labelled box of langoustines left at the front door shortly after 8am.
Read more: Langoustine delivery stolen outside Phil Howard's Elystan Street
The clip, posted by chef-owner Phil Howard, quickly circulated across the industry.
Now, Chris said one of his own restaurants, Galvin La Chapelle had recently experienced the same problem when £800 worth of meat was stolen.
He commented: “ “It’s devastating to see this happening in the run-up to Christmas, the busiest and most crucial period for the hospitality industry. The produce taken from us wasn’t everyday groceries - it was high-quality, premium meat, and for Elystan Street it was langoustines!
"These are items that simply don’t end up in someone’s home kitchen, which raises serious concerns that this theft may be feeding into other restaurants. As an industry already under immense pressure, it’s disheartening to face targeted behaviour like this, but we hope shining a light on it helps protect other venues from becoming victims.”
Speaking on the similar incidents, Phil Howard said: "We don't know who's responsible for our theft, but we feel like we are - well, the powers that be feel like they are honing in, I think it's a local person. But there's nothing, there's no confirmation of that, but that is what we are being told by the police.
"It looks quite potentially the same person, but they are the other side of town, so who knows? But, obviously on the surface it looks completely conceivable.
"It's a very particular kind of theft - to be able to capitalise on highly perishable produce needs somebody who knows what they're doing, otherwise it's utterly pointless. If they found a box of designer handbags for Christmas, they'd jump up. But to find a box of live langoustines, you've got to really know what you're doing to be able to shift it, and likewise fresh meat.
"It's just so upsetting is that I can't imagine that the person taking it has got any idea how much effort has gone into that box of produce.
"For us to buy the quality of produce that we want - a box of live langoustines - it has taken a huge amount of passion and energy by the fishermen, by the packers, by the logistics people. The journey to us to get this amazing product from the islands north of Scotland down to London… and for it just to be nicked and potentially wasted is just tragic.
"That’s actually more upsetting than the monetary value - it’s the care that has gone into that box for us to be able to give the pleasure that we want to give to our guests."
{{user.name}}