Crave café in Auckland has revealed that it lost over $200 in bills on a single weekend due to customer walkouts. The loss is particularly harsh as the café is owned by a local collective and profit are put back into supporting the neighbourhood.
Co-owner Nigel Cottle said that some of the loss can be out down to absent-mindedness rather than theft but is urging customers to be more careful. He posted a video of the unpaid receipts to the café’s Instagram story, rather than the standard feed, as he didn’t want to leave a permanent negative mark.
“We've got to make a lot of coffees to make up for that,” he said. “It's hard to know but we do get some people who come back the next day to pay, once they realise it.”
One option is to change the way the café operates and have customers pay when they order, but Cottle said that will lead to long queues and potentially turn customers away.
“People wouldn't imagine it happens to us,” he said. “We've had heaps of feedback and overwhelming support. Our customers are very generous.”
