Glenny Kebabs: Glen Waverley eatery offers huge reward after staff tip jar stolen

A popular kebab shop has had its staff tip jar stolen, and is offering a king-sized reward for anyone who can help recover the cash.

A popular kebab store in Melbourne’s east has slammed a “scumbag” who it claims took hundreds of dollars in staff tips, just as it begins to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Glenny Kebabs has posted CCTV footage of a man who appears to take the tip jar from the front counter of its Glen Waverley store in Century City Walk on November 21 at 1.30am.

In a post on its Facebook page, the store claimed more than $400 was inside the jar and the person had visited 15 minutes earlier and asked team members if they wanted to upgrade delivery tablets.

Owner Asad Syed said the man allegedly returned a short time later and asked team members who were closing up the shop if he could borrow a phone to order an Uber.

He said the team members didn’t feel safe doing so but directed the man to a pay phone.

Mr Syed said the man then returned for a third time, and took the jar while staff were inside the kitchen.

He said Century City’s security team had passed the footage onto local police, and some customers said they had spotted the alleged thief at a nearby pool hall and outside a charcoal chicken shop earlier in the day.

“It’s heartbreaking to see people do this sort of thing, we are a small business, not a massive corporation,” he said.

“I work here with my family everyday … and for them to do this is gutless.

Mr Syed said he used the tips to reward staff with gift vouchers and other prizes for their hard work.

He said he was offering a king-sized meal of the store’s famous halal snack packs, valued at $200, as a reward for anyone who found the tip jar and the cash.

Mr Syed was also willing to forgive the alleged thief if they returned the items to the store this week.

“I don’t need an apology, I just want him to not do it again, because the staff miss out here,” he said.

“If he’s genuinely homeless we’re happy to feed him, but don’t steal from us.”