Employee Steals Tableware To Open New Restaurant

Shanghai police have arrested a new restaurateur just days after his grand opening, because he allegedly stole his new restaurant's tableware from a former employer.

According to Shanghaiist, the new restaurateur — a man surnamed Wu — was employed by a local restaurant in Hongkou district. One day recently, his boss — a man named Wang — brought in a fancy supply of new, high-end tableware to get ready for the Spring Festival holiday, which this year ran from January 31 to February 6.

Wu decided the fancy new tableware was just what he needed to realize his dream of running his own restaurant, so he made off with the cutlery and opened his own place directly across the street from his former employer. Of course Wang realized what was wrong the day of the new restaurant's grand opening, when he spotted his missing tableware at a new restaurant being run by his old employee. Police arrested Wu a few days later.

Many Internet users in China were tickled by the tale of Wu's attempted chicanery.

"He's seen too many spy movies, where the most obvious place to hide is often the safest," one joked. "But in real life, it's not so safe."