09/20/2026
🚨 🚨 URGENT WARNING TO RESTAURANT OWNERS AND SMALL BUSINESSES IN ST. JOHN’S!
Tonight, something deeply concerning happened at PHỞ F&M. I am sharing this experience because I want every restaurant owner and small business in our community to be aware of what happened and stay alert.
A group of people, including men, women, and children, entered our restaurant during one of our busiest evening hours.
Anyone who was at PHỞ F&M tonight knows just how busy we were. Our dining room was full, customers were constantly coming in to pick up their orders, and we barely had a moment to stop.
I welcomed the group and arranged a table for them. However, they repeatedly insisted on sitting near our cashier counter, even though I had already explained that the table they wanted was reserved.
While I was busy preparing their table, I noticed that the oldest man in the group kept looking towards our cashier area.
Then, in a matter of seconds, he slipped behind our cashier counter without asking for permission!
What caught my attention was the way he behaved once he entered the restricted area.
He raised his hand to his head as though he were casually scratching it, while quickly looking down and scanning the area behind our counter.
Our head chef immediately followed him and demanded to know why he had entered our private working area.
At that moment, the man quickly grabbed a handful of napkins that had been tucked away behind a stack of glasses, then hurried back to his seat.
I was genuinely shocked. Those napkins were not placed anywhere customers could normally see or reach them.
From that moment on, we became extremely alert and began watching the group’s behaviour closely.
BUT THE MOST ALARMING PART CAME AFTER THEY FINISHED EATING!
They began asking about ordering additional food, repeatedly drawing our attention away from the cashier area while the restaurant was extremely busy.
At the same time, several members of the group gathered around our cashier counter, positioning themselves in different places and obstructing the view of our security cameras.
They stood shoulder to shoulder, talked continuously, leaned over the counter to look directly into our private working area, and repeatedly reached across to touch items on the counter.
Based on the way they moved, obstructed our cameras, distracted our staff, and repeatedly tried to approach the cashier area, we became seriously concerned that they were coordinating their actions to create another opportunity for someone to slip behind the counter.
WE WERE PARTICULARLY CONCERNED THAT THEY WERE TARGETING OUR PAYMENT TERMINAL.
I immediately focused my attention on the cashier area, completed their payment as quickly as possible, and asked them to leave so that we could continue serving the many other customers who were waiting.
However, they continued lingering around the counter, leaning into our private working area and touching items that did not belong to them.
I refused to leave the cashier area until the entire group had left the restaurant.
WE STRONGLY SUSPECT THAT THIS GROUP WAS ACTING TOGETHER AND HAD PLANNED THEIR ACTIONS IN ADVANCE.
The way the first man entered and inspected our cashier area, followed by several people gathering around the counter, obstructing our cameras, distracting our staff, and repeatedly attempting to access our working space, raised serious concerns that this may have been a coordinated group with experience carrying out similar activities.
We cannot confirm their actual intentions. However, what we personally witnessed tonight gave us serious reasons to be concerned about the security of our restaurant.
⚠️ TO EVERY RESTAURANT OWNER AND SMALL BUSINESS OPERATOR: PLEASE STAY ALERT!
Be especially vigilant during your busiest hours, when your staff are serving multiple customers, preparing orders, and processing payments at the same time.
Do not allow repeated requests, distracting conversations, or several people gathering around your cashier counter to divert your attention from your payment equipment and private working areas.
Pay close attention when individuals position themselves in ways that obstruct your security cameras, repeatedly look behind your counter, or attempt to enter staff-only areas without permission.
And never automatically lower your guard simply because a group arrives with women and children. Pay attention to people’s actual behaviour and how they interact with one another.
LET ME MAKE ONE THING ABSOLUTELY CLEAR: NO CUSTOMER HAS THE RIGHT TO ENTER A RESTAURANT’S PRIVATE CASHIER OR STAFF AREA WITHOUT PERMISSION, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!
Thankfully, our head chef reacted immediately when he noticed the man entering our cashier area, and we remained alert throughout the entire incident.
I am sharing this experience because I do not want another restaurant owner or small business to find themselves in a similar situation.
We work incredibly hard every single day to build and maintain our small family-run restaurant. We welcome our customers with kindness and respect, but that does not give anyone the right to enter our private working areas or compromise the security of our business.
PLEASE SHARE THIS WARNING AS WIDELY AS POSSIBLE SO THAT OTHER RESTAURANT OWNERS AND SMALL BUSINESSES IN ST. JOHN’S CAN STAY ALERT!
PHỞ F&M Restaurant
117 Longs Hill, St. John’s, NL
Made with heart. Served with heritage.
