«It ruined my day. We are always available to those in need, we have only been here recently and they welcomed us very well: it was really bad." Thus speaks Federico Casula, owner with his wife of the Moméntu Cagliari restaurant in via Gianturco, a stone's throw from Piazza Repubblica: it was just after 5pm on 22 November when a couple of thieves entered, consumed food and then, taking advantage of a moment out of distraction, the man of the two stole the box with the tips intended for the employees.
The entrepreneur on the phone is sorry, rather than angry. From Decimputzu he arrived in Cagliari, after having traveled hundreds and hundreds of kilometers with his wife hunting for small producers, to open a business «that wants to be a piece of Sardinia. We only sell goods that cannot be found in large-scale retail trade." The place is a cafeteria, you can eat there, pick up fresh food. And theft, for those who work "even 18 hours a day to carry out a project like ours, hurts. Also because that was money intended for our employees."
Everything happens in a short time. The couple enters, orders coffee, pizza and water. The bill is paid immediately. The two get up. However, she asks to see some vegan pasta, which is on the side of the counter opposite to the cash register. He stays close to the money. He has a jacket on his arm. When the owner is serving his partner, and is not observing, he takes the tip box and hides it. Then the couple goes out.
«We didn't notice anything», explains Casula, «until another customer, shortly after, asked where to leave the change for the girls». And here's the discovery. The images from the video surveillance system confirm the evolution of events. Some frames were published on social media to warn other entrepreneurs. « The owner of a bar in Via Col di Lana made himself heard: from them, as from us, they took around 50 euros. They were the same."
In an unedifying story, good humanity also emerges. Casula says: «the word of the theft spread. So a regular customer came to us with a tin piggy bank, placed it on the counter and immediately put 22 euros in: it was really nice."