‘Slimeball’ Diner Caught On Camera Stealing a Steak In a Napkin

Steve Medlen’s House of Beef serves juicy steaks and “the best tri-tip sandwich in town” to the residents of Oakdale, California. For that reason, House of Beef is pretty well-loved. “BEEF LOVER [sic] SHOULDN'T MISS THIS PLACE,” reads a recent Yelp review. With the priciest steak on the menu costing under $40 (including garlic bread, sides, and access to the soup and salad bar), House of Beef has also been called a pretty dang good deal for a classic steak dinner.

Still, for one unidentified diner, a $56 meal of steak, lobster tail, and a 20-ounce beer was $56 more than he wanted to pay. As reported by Fox 40 late last week, one beef lover liked House of Beef’s meat so much that he just had to take his steak home, without paying or boxing it up.

The beef thief was bold: After receiving his surf and turf dinner, he picked up the porterhouse, wrapped it in a napkin taken from the bread basket, and then walked out. It was all caught on surveillance footage that has since been posted online to help the steakhouse find the dine-and-dasher.

House of Beef’s head server called the theft—and the diner—“highly unusual.” Not only had he asked for a table for four, but, dressed in a suit, he reminded her of a “used car salesman or bad real estate agent.” (In case you didn’t get the picture, she also said he reminded her of an 80s movie villain.)

“What type of person will take a steak and watch the juice drip off and then wrap it in a linen napkin?” she told Fox, reinforcing the claim that yes, House of Beef does make a juicy steak.

Dining and dashing might be par for the course at some restaurants, but as Steve Medlen told MUNCHIES over the phone, that’s not the case at his steakhouse.

Although the footage of the beef thief has made the rounds online, Medlen told MUNCHIES that he has yet to be identified. Still, Medlen is not giving up.

“This guy needs to be brought to the front. I’m trying to do something for my fellow merchants and fellow restaurants, anyone that could be affected by this,” Medlen said. “It’s hard for me to believe that no one’s recognized him yet.”

I guess you could say that Medlen’s got… beef.