Xi’an Famous Foods Posts Video of Late Night Vandals and Asks Them to Pay for Stolen Dumplings

Xi’an Famous Foods captures vandals on camera cooking dumplings in Chelsea shop

Two women allegedly broke into the Chelsea location of Xi’an Famous Foods early on Sunday morning, after an electronic lock on the front door disengaged due to a power failure. Xi’an Famous Foods founder Jason Wang posted a video of the incident, in which the suspects attempted to cook their own food — apparently in cold water — and made off with a bag of dumplings. The suspects fled the scene after a few minutes and left a mess: Food was on the counter after they tried to cook a few dumplings, a fridge remained partially open, and other spoiled ingredients had to be thrown out.

It may seem like a case of the late-night munchies gone wrong, but Wang says the company won’t report the trespassers to the police if they pay for their food and any related expenses. “While we can respect that one has cravings for our food late at night, it is still trespassing, and it’s really not OK for you to feel so entitled to be able to waltz into a commercial kitchen,” Wang wrote in a YouTube video posted roughly 24 hours after the incident. “It’s not legal, it’s not safe for our guests or even yourselves. Yes, the food is just too good to pass up, it’s like having a golden ticket to the XFF safe, but, no, don’t.”

The incident happened around 12:30 a.m. July 11 at 96 Eighth Avenue, the newest location of Xi’an Famous Foods. The two women, whom Wang described as “drunk” in the YouTube clip, apparently were able to get in the store because the electronic lock on the door didn’t work due to a power outage. Wang tells Eater that he’s trying to see the humor in the incident, but he wanted to also harness social media to hold the suspects accountable.

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