"I felt terrible": Robert Irwin owns up to dine and dash
<p>In what might be Australia’s most wholesome crime story of the year, wildlife warrior and all-round national treasure Robert Irwin has admitted to accidentally pulling off a classic dine and dash – and then publicly atoning like he just robbed a bank.</p>
<p>The 21-year-old TV star and son of the late Steve Irwin took to Instagram with a red-faced confession after realising he had legged it from The Jetty Pavilion in Coffs Harbour without paying for his takeaway salad. Yes, a salad. Value: $26. Crime: Priceless.</p>
<p>“I went in there, and there was a lot of people who, you know, saw me and said g’day, and wanted to have a photo,” Irwin explained, recalling the moment the selfie storm struck. “But it turned into a bit of a frenzy.”</p>
<p>Caught up in the chaos of admirers and admirers-of-koalas, Irwin left with his Harvest Bowl in hand – but no transaction complete. “I just did the old dine and dash and didn’t even realise. I felt terrible,” he said, as every Australian over the age of five forgave him instantly.</p>
<p>Ever the gentleman, Irwin reached out to the venue the next morning offering to settle up. But instead of sending him an invoice or calling the salad police, the owners had a different idea: “Just leave us a good review.”</p>
<p>“I said, ‘I’ll do you one better!’” Irwin beamed, urging his eight million Instagram followers to support the cafe – effectively turning his accidental felony into a full-blown marketing campaign.</p>
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<p>Jetty Pavilion owners Kyle Miller and Ben Hemsworth were quick to assure the public they weren’t mad, just mildly starstruck and wildly grateful.</p>
<p>“I was expecting just to see ‘Jetty Pavilion has a great salad’ on a Google review,” Hemsworth told <em>Today</em> on Monday. “Then I got a message from my daughter saying, ‘Oh my god, I saw the video!’ And my phone just lit up.”</p>
<p>Miller cheekily pointed the finger at the restaurant’s staff for the oversight: “Some of the girls got a little starstruck and forgot to accept a payment… It’s not very common for us to get a world celebrity in the door, so we can’t blame the girls for that one. I guess he’s a good-lookin’ fella.”</p>
<p>As for the Harvest Bowl at the centre of the scandal? It now has more media coverage than most federal budgets.</p>
<p>So rest easy, Australia; Robert Irwin isn’t starting a life of crime. He’s just out there, unintentionally boosting small businesses and reminding us all that even our most beloved public figures are capable of a very polite whoopsie.</p>
<p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>