Robert Irwin has issued a groveling apology after failing to pay for his meal at a popular restaurant in Australia.
The wildlife conservationist, 21, shared how the accidental faux pas came to be in a candid video on Instagram, saying he was left red-faced following his visit to the Jetty Pavilion in Coffs Harbour over the weekend.
“Hi guys, Robert here. So I have a funny story,” he said in the video shared with his 7.6 million followers on the platform.
“I’m road-tripping down the East Coast of Australia at the moment and I stopped in at Coffs Harbour, which is a beautiful coastal town in northern NSW, for a bit of dinner.”
After placing his order, Robert said he quickly became distracted by fans wanting selfies.
“I went in there and there was a lot of people who saw me and wanted a photo but it turned into a bit of a frenzy,” he explained.
After collecting his food and chatting to fans, Irwin began to make his way toward his vehicle, completely forgetting to pay for his food.
“They got the salad done super fast and I made sure I said hi to absolutely everyone,” he said.
“Then the next morning I wake up and realize, I never paid for my salad. I just did the old dine and dash and didn’t even realize. I felt terrible.”
After realizing his error, Irwin contacted the restaurant and offered to pay for his meal remotely.
“They said, ‘We love what you do, it’s all good, sorry for the mix-up — just leave us a good review,’” he told fans.
“So I said, ‘Guys, Jetty Pavilion, I’m going to do you one better.’”
Irwin then urged his followers to support the small business and promised he would be making a return in person.
“I’ll be coming back up through Coffs Harbour and I’ll give you the money myself,” he said.
“Today is not the day I start my life of crime, as much as the tabloids would love that, it’s not happening.”
Following Irwin’s post, the restaurant owners took to social media to thank him for coming in.
“Thank you soooo much for visiting our venue we’re honestly blown away,” they wrote in the comments section.
“Being from a humble little coastal town, it means the world to us to have you stop by. We’re all huge fans, and truly appreciate the shoutout.”
“We can only imagine how hard it must be to enjoy a quiet meal without being bombarded so thank you again for choosing us, and no stress about missing the payment! We’d absolutely love to have you back anytime… we might even have to name a salad after you 🐊🌿,” they added.
Irwin’s older sister, Bindi, 26, commented, “Followed! Yay @jettypavilioncoffs 🎉.”
Robert and Bindi are both conservationists and zookeepers like their late dad, Steve Irwin.
Steve died in 2006 following an attack by a stingray. Robert was just 2 at the time.
He now works alongside his sister at the Australia Zoo, which his dad and his mom, Terri Irwin, owned.
Robert was last year named a global ambassador for Prince William’s Earthshot Prize, a global challenge created by the Prince of Wales that aims to fix the world’s biggest environmental problems.
