Sexy Fish offers reward for return of stolen fish

Caprice Holdings-owned restaurant Sexy Fish is calling for the safe return of its fish-shaped chop stick holders, which have been stolen in vast quantities over the years.

The Berkeley Square restaurant’s famous chopstick rests have become an unexpected collector’s item among guests.

Engraved with ‘Stolen from Sexy Fish’ on the bottom, the fish-shaped holders have quietly disappeared from tables at a remarkable rate, with an estimated 558,000 vanishing across all Sexy Fish locations over the years.

Now, the restaurant, including its outposts in Manchester, Miami and Dubai, is offering guests the chance to ‘right their wrongs’ by returning any previously pilfered chopstick rests to the restaurants in exchange for a free cocktail from the venue’s 10th anniversary menu, X, which features a collection of 20 reimagined versions of its most iconic cocktails, reworked with the modern drinker in mind.

Daniel Smith, Sexy Fish global managing director, told The Spirits Business: “As part of our 10th anniversary celebrations, we couldn’t resist highlighting one of Sexy Fish’s most legendary quirks: our fish-shaped chopstick holders.

“Since opening, these playful table details, branded with the cheeky message ‘Stolen from Sexy Fish’ have become cult objects, frequently taken home by guests and proudly posted on social media. Over the years, more than 558,000 have mysteriously ‘gone missing’.

“Rather than fight it, we’ve decided to embrace the mischief. This campaign is a tongue-in-cheek way to invite our guests to return our beloved fish and experience the new X cocktail menu.”

The ‘no questions asked’ Missing Fish Campaign offer will run for the duration of August.

Earlier this summer, The Spirits Business shone a light on the epidemic of sticky-fingered sippers across the hospitality industry, after discovering that 83% of consumers have admitted to stealing from a bar or restaurant. Of those who admitted to the crime, many cited the Sexy Fish chopstick rest as one of their purloined treasures.

There had been some speculation that the ‘Stolen from Sexy Fish’ inscription on the bottom of the rest indicated that taking the rests home at the end of a meal was allowed, with one TikTok user calling it a publicity stunt.