Kind pizzeria owner decided not to report thief with 4 children to police

A woman stole 8 stacks of Rocco's Pizzeria take-and-bake pizzas with the aid of her four children. [Courtesy of Rocco's Pizzeria / Facebook ]

Being a small business owner is a hard job as every decision has a big impact on the business. A pizzeria owner, Damian Penner, from Steinbach, Canada had to choose whether to report a theft that happened in his store or not.

A woman and four children entered his business, Rocco's Pizzeria, on the night of July 23. The children were trying to distract the workers and the fidgety woman darted out of the store with eight stacks of take-and-bake pizzas.

The owner of the family friendly restaurant decided not to report the incident. Instead, he posted about the incident on the restaurant's Facebook page, urging the woman to come forward so he can help her if she needs financial or food aids to feed her children.

Penner was concerned more about her children who were aiding the woman in stealing. He also did not post the photos of the woman and her children on the social media page. He wrote, "You can't continue to get your children to assist you in stealing, as they are young, impressionable, and still learning", and added, "If you need help, please come in and talk to me personally. We know of many resources out there, and work closely with many groups that can help lift you out of the circumstances you may be in."

Rocco's Pizzeria's Facebook post went viral, garnering over 1,500 reactions. Many of the customers expressed their delights in Penner's decision and pledged their loyalty to the restaurant.

They also expressed in the comments section how classy Penner's decision was to treat the woman as a member of his community instead of a thief.

Rocco's Pizzeria owners, Damian and Jodi Penner. [Courtesy of Damian and Jodi Penner / Facebook ]

After the outpouring support, Penner expressed gratitude. He wrote, "Many of you have been asking for an update, and with regards to the original story, there is no update. The lady has not come in, but there is still hope that she has gone about seeking help on her own!"

He added, "Thank you for the support, we don't plan to try to "keep this spinning", and look forward to just going on, and making more of Steinbachs Favorite Pizza!"

Rocco's Pizzeria has been voted "Steinbach's Best Restaurant" three years in a row and has been actively supporting local communities in need.

Kwak, Min Jung = abiel@ajunews.com

KwakMin-jung abiel@ajunews.com

Kind pizzeria owner decided not to report thief with 4 children to police

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