What's your favorite part of a hotel? The nice beds? The room service? The convenience of it all? Most people wouldn't exactly put the buffet at the tippity top of their list, but it'd be somewhere toward the top.
But it turns out some people like the buffets that much that they'd go the extra mile to steal the food. As reported by the New York Post, viral videos have been posted online showing buffet crashers rushing into hotel buffet rooms, loading up on continental breakfasts and other foods, and just... leaving. No payment, no consequences, nothing.
Complimentary buffet breakfasts are practically everywhere in the US these days. Most big chains offer it. And the way that the buffets are set up make things quite difficult. Kenneth Free, a Connecticut-based hospitality expert, explained the complexity of the matter.
"Because most complimentary breakfasts are in smaller, limited-service properties, they usually don't have the personnel resources to aggressively police whether breakfast patrons are truly guests of the hotel," he said. "[when] breakfast shoplifters succeed in pilfering breakfasts... additional financial pressure is applied to the hotel, causing it to investigate cost-savings measures."
Videos by Wide Open Country
People Online Agree That Things Have Gone Too Far With Hotel Crashers
People have voiced their concerns about hotel buffet crashers on social media. "Literally anyone can walk in... and eat all the breakfast they want," one wrote. The commenter claimed to work at a major brand.
Another wrote, "I hope everyone knows that this is equivalent... to walking into a restaurant... and helping yourself. It's theft,". Another wrote, "Completely disgraceful that we have people out there who think this is not only acceptible... they film and upload it into social media. What kind of jacka** would even "follow" these people in social media?"
Others said that the solution could be a simple matter. One wrote, "Table numbers should be allocated. One person to check diners entering. Problem solved.", while another wrote, "Takes Only One Employee at the Dining-Room Door." But, in reality, things aren't really that simple. It's quite a complex logistical issue.
We hope that this isn't something that gets out of hand.
