FAIRFAX, Virginia. – The owner of a Fairfax restaurant is using social media to catch a thief who stole food through DoorDash.
Alex Kang, the owner of Okonomi Asian Grill of Fairfax Boulevard, says he is frustrated after multiple incidents in which a man ordered food for pickup at his restaurant through DoorDash, arrived at the store and then canceled the order – after taking the food with him.
He has posted photos and videos of the suspect on Instagram in the hopes that someone will recognize him. Kang has even offered a $150 reward to the first person to provide information leading to the suspect’s arrest.
“All you have to do is provide me with verifiable information that leads to me actually catching this guy and you get $150,” Kang wrote.
Kang says he has contacted DoorDash several times about the issue, but so far he has faced hours of wait times and has had difficulty getting money back for the stolen food.
“DoorDash responded with a lot of automated responses,” Kang told FOX 5. “It takes about two to three hours to even get compensated for the transaction.”
He has also contacted Fairfax police and provided the aliases the man used to order food, but he says he knows the department is understaffed and has to respond to hundreds of incidents every day.
“The police can only do so much. It’s so little … it’s a misdemeanor, a class one misdemeanor at best,” he said. “They’re doing the best they can.”
But the financial burden of each theft has a significant impact on his small business.
“For every single bowl that goes missing like that, you need 10 other bowls to replace it,” Kang said. “At the end of the day, DoorDash doesn’t lose anything. They didn’t put in the work. They’re not the ones paying my employees. They’re not the ones making the food,” Kang said.
Kang believes the suspect is in his 20s, about 6’3″ to 6’4″ tall and weighs about 165 pounds. He says the man drove to his restaurant in a silver-gray BMW.
To the thief and others who engage in similar activities, he says: “Do better.”
“In their heads, they’re thinking, ‘Oh yeah, so DoorDash is losing,'” Kang said. “But it’s like, no, I, the business partner, am actually losing because DoorDash is blaming me. That’s the thing they don’t see or aren’t aware of.”
Anyone with information can DM Okonomi Asian Grill on Instagram.
