… and a four liter jar of pickles, six kilograms of goose fat and liver, poppy seeds and butter before being caught at opening time

The plan does not seem to have been fully thought out.

A 48-year-old man hid is a restaurant on Mezibranská Street in Prague 1, just off of Wenceslas Square, at closing time, according to a police report.

He apparently hid in the bathroom as the staff locked up on Sunday night. Once alone in the unidentified eatery, the alleged villain “feasted royally,” the police stated.

He rifled through the bar and the employees lockers for small change, and packed up a coffee pot and some stray clothing including chef’s pants and T-shirts.

The alleged thief also packed up some beer and a strawberry cake to take with him.

But it was with eating food that was left behind for the next day that he excelled, according to police.

“We can say that he feasted like a king,” police spokesman Tomáš Hulan said.

The man chomped into six baked geese, weighing about five kilograms each, three ducks, a four liter jar of pickles, six kilograms of goose fat and liver, poppy seeds and butter.

He also had several bottles of wine and other beverages. The whole menu almost sounds like a holiday song.

Police say that he did not finish everything, however. But the partially eaten food could no longer be sold to the public.

Apparently he hoped to sneak out in the morning but was not so lucky. When the cleaning lady arrived at 9 a.m. she called the police and the freelance gourmand was caught. He caused some Kč 20,000 in damage and faces up to two years in prison.