Janitor Is Accused of Stealing Food from Cafe, Gets Promoted When Employer Checks His Bag — Story of the Day

A cafe owner grew suspicious of an employee after his abundant supply of imported ingredients disappeared. He decided to check the employee's bag only to give him a promotion after discovering the culprit.

Ben owned a famous Asian fusion cafe in downtown Los Angeles. He was known for his unique and flavorful dishes, with ingredients air-flown from Japan, Korea, and China.

One day, while checking on his cafe's pantry, he noticed that his supply of some expensive rare Japanese ingredients was too low despite only being used on special orders.

Ben owned an Asian fusion cafe that used air-flown ingredients from Japan, Korea, and China. | Source: Pexels

At first, Ben grew suspicious of his cooks, suspecting them of using the expensive ingredients on other dishes, or worse, for personal use. When they denied Ben's accusations, all eyes were suddenly on Jack.

Jack was the cafe's loyal janitor who cleaned the kitchen and its back entrance. He was the first to check on the deliveries that arrived at the cafe, ensuring they were all in good condition.

Ben realized that maybe Jack had seen the expensive ingredients and had taken an interest in them. He began to start observing Jack's movements, and that's when he noticed him leaving the cafe with a heavy-looking bag every night.

Ben started to accuse Jack of stealing the ingredients. | Source: Pexels

On the third night, Ben decided to confront Jack. He was sure that he was stealing the ingredients, and he wanted to catch him red-handed.

"Jack," Ben called out to him. "Why are you in such a hurry to go home? Come to my office real quick."

Jack was startled at Ben's sudden call. He dropped his bag on the floor before heading inside the cafe.

"Take the bag with you," Ben ordered. Jack gulped and followed his boss's lead.

Ben called Jack to his office. | Source: Pexels

When they got to the office, Ben went straight to the point. "You've been going home with a full bag every night, and it just so happens my pantry is being depleted of its expensive ingredients. Do you have something to tell me?"

Jack's facial expression suddenly changed, surprised by what Ben was trying to imply. "Sir, I would never steal from you or anyone. That's not who I am," he said, shaking his head.

But Ben was not convinced and asked Jack to open his bag. At first, Jack was hesitant. He had no idea how his boss would react to what was inside. But when Ben insisted, Jack opened the bag's zipper to prove his innocence.

"I'm sorry, sir," Jack said. "I know there's no place for this at a cafe; that's why I've been quietly sneaking it out every night," he apologized.

Jack revealed that inside his bag was a puppy. | Source: Pexels

To Ben's surprise, inside Jack's bag was a puppy. "I'm relieved to find out you haven't been stealing ingredients, Jack, but… a puppy? Where are you taking it?" he asked his staff.

Jack revealed that at the back of the cafe, a stray dog gave birth to four puppies. With no one taking care of them, Jack had been feeding them with leftovers.

"I put up puppy adoption posters in my neighborhood. Every time someone gives me a call, I take a puppy to its new owners after work," Jack admitted.

Ben couldn't help but laugh. "I feel awful, Jack. I'm sorry for accusing you of stealing from us. I knew you were a good man, but I didn't know you were this compassionate of living things," he commended.

Ben was surprised to find out that Jack was rescuing puppies. | Source: Pexels

Wanting to help his boss find the culprit, Jack suggested they check the cafe's surveillance cameras for any leads. Ben commended Jack, as he did not think of checking the tapes at all.

They went through a week's worth of tapes to see who had been entering the pantry, and they saw one person who was frequently there: Ben's daughter, Alicia.

Ben could not believe his eyes and decided to watch the tapes several times and they only confirmed that it was indeed Alicia getting the expensive ingredients from the pantry.

"Why would she steal from her father?" Ben said in disbelief. "I can't believe she'd do this to me!"

Ben and Jack watched the surveillance footage from the cafe to find out who had been stealing. | Source: Pexels

Alicia, a high school sophomore, had been working at the cafe that summer, training as a receptionist entertaining guests before they were seated. She discovered her dad's extensive pantry and started paying attention to it by going there every day when everyone else was too busy to notice.

That night, Ben confronted his daughter at home. He wanted to find out why she had been stealing from him and let her know how disappointed he was in her.

Alicia admitted that she was trying to impress her boyfriend, a senior at their school. He was particularly interested in gourmet food, so she started picking out the most expensive ingredients for him to use on his dishes.

Alicia admitted she had been stealing the ingredients to impress her boyfriend. | Source: Pexels

Disappointed in his daughter, Ben fired her instantly and told her she could no longer work at the cafe. He decided to give Jack the job and he thrived as a receptionist.

Not only did Jack have a pleasing personality, but he was also very accommodating. In a matter of weeks, he was able to double the guests coming into the cafe. Ben couldn't be any happier, and he wanted to reward Jack for his handwork.

"Is there anything I can do for you, Jack? Anything at all. You are my most-prized employee, and I want to make sure you're treated well here," Ben said after seeing that their sales had tripled on a Friday night.

"Well, there is one thing, sir," Jack said, a smile slowly forming on his face.

Ben promoted Jack and was impressed by his great performance. | Source: Pexels

"There's one more puppy that needs a home," he grinned. "Would you like to adopt it?"

Ben shook his head and laughed. "Here I was thinking you were going to ask me for a raise less than a month after working your new job, and yet here you are, asking me to adopt a puppy! You are something else, Jack," he said, patting him on the back.

"I will take the puppy home with me tonight. Don't you worry, I promise to take care of it," Ben assured. "Better yet, I'll have Alicia help me, so she learns a thing or two about responsibility."

What can we learn from this story?

• Don't be quick to judge other people. Ben quickly thought Jack was stealing from him but he was humbled after Jack showed his true character and even helped him find the real culprit.
• Sometimes, those closest to us can be the ones who betray us the most. It never crossed Ben's mind that it would be his own daughter stealing from him. It shows that sometimes, those closest to us are more capable of betraying us than those who work for us loyally.

Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a wife who asked her husband to take her out on a date, only to find out that he was ashamed of her and how she looked.

This story is inspired by the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.