'They weren't coming back, so I considered it free game': Office lunch thieves reveal why they stole their coworker's food

Author image for Ally Perry
Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
Jun 7, 2026 7:45 PM EDT

Is there any greater workplace crime than stealing somebody else's lunch?

Becoming the victim of an office food thief is kind of the classic final straw for beleaguered employees everywhere. Imagine you are working some boring job just to pay the bills, and whatever you packed for yourself in the morning is the highlight of your day; you open the fridge, and it is nowhere to be seen. It is the scenario that the word hangry was basically made for.

In a just world, nobody would be sneaking anybody else's food like that, least of all in an environment that supposedly demands professionalism and respect like the workplace. However, it is something that many workers have had the misfortune of experiencing at one point or another, and for the victims, any of the excuses mean nothing. The unpleasant surprise of not having a meal of your choice awaiting you on your break is a disappointment like no other.

While it may be true that we've all got to eat, planning ahead for your lunch is a pretty integral part of basic workplace etiquette. Just because it isn't the kind of skill you put on your resume doesn't mean that it's not important.

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  • A representation of a person's hand resting on an open laptop, with a Tupperware containing pasta salad beside them
    via Karolina Grabowska (Unsplash+)

    A representation of a person's hand resting on an open laptop, with a Tupperware containing pasta salad beside them

  • Although not everyone is eager to hear the other side of the story, there are lunch thieves out there who are willing to own up to their crimes and explain why they did it. A lot of them even manage to make it sound like a pretty innocent mistake. When somebody asked those who had stolen food at work to give their side of the story, there were a whole range of anecdotes to pick from. A lot of the thieves even showed some remorse, and they all had a likely story for what they had ended up doing.

  • If you ever ate someone else's lunch at work, why did you do it?

    sunflower_jock18

  • Electrical-Act-7170 It was an accident, we brought the same yogurt. I gave her mine & all was well. Edit: of course I apologized, too.
    via Electrical-Act-7170
  • phreezerburn66 There is a guy that I work with that packs a yogurt in his lunch every shift, and never eats it. They just build up in the door of the fridge. Me and another coworker
    via phreezerburn66
  • eat them all the time. We just make sure there are always one or two of them in there in case he gets a wild hair up his a and actually wants to eat one. I suspect his wife packs his lunches for him.
    via phreezerburn66
  • Read_it_all-7735 Once, my dad packed my lunch. I brought a brown bag and tossed it in the fridge. I pulled out a brown bag at lunch time and there was a delicious home made brownie in there. I ate it and
    via Read_it_all-7735
  • thought, "When did we make brownies" Then I realized that I was eating someones lunch. I put it back and ate my sandwich from home in the other bag. Felt like such an a h le. It was 30 years ago.
    via Read_it_all-7735
  • A representation of two female coworkers sitting down and eating from lunch boxes, with a male coworker standing beside them while also eating from a lunchbox
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    A representation of two female coworkers sitting down and eating from lunch boxes, with a male coworker standing beside them while also eating from a lunchbox

  • Semanticprion Years ago I was in my second week at a company. I went into their kitchen for lunch and got some chips from the vending machine. I couldn't help but
    via Semanticprion
  • notice the delicious looking salad on the counter, immediately under a sign that said FOOD HERE IS FREE, PLEASE TAKE. You know where this is going. I waited 5 minutes to make sure somebody hadn't just set it down to go get a
    via Semanticprion
  • fork or something, then started digging in. A few minutes later a cranky admin came, glared at me and said, "That's my lunch!" I apologized and said next time, maybe don't leave it underneath the PLEASE EAT THIS FOOD sign.
    via Semanticprion
  • Mew_ I once witnessed someone throw out someone else's lunch because they thought they were the sausages from the work BBQ weeks prior, queue the guy walking in looking for his sausages moments later. Was like a comedy sketch!
    via Mew_
  • DHesperis Not me but a coworker stole a B list actors smoothie. The actor found it hilarious and stole her smoothie in return. (They were similar orders and both weren't paying attention to what was happening until after grabbing the wrong ones)
    via DHesperis
  • Skr000 A long time ago, I was a waitress and my manager was a very, very large man. One day, after the lunch shift, he was sitting in a booth with a huge spread - multiple boxes of crackers, two cheeseballs, a whole bag of
    via Skr000
  • apples, multiple bricks of cheese, etc. I said "Oh sweet! You bought everyone lunch!" and sat down and started snacking. After a minute, he looked at me and says "This is just my lunch."
    via Skr000
  • A representation of a woman's hands putting a fork into a salad with a laptop beside her
    via Monika Borys (Unsplash+)

    A representation of a woman's hands putting a fork into a salad with a laptop beside her

  • hotheadnchickn I stole someone's juice from the work fridge once. I was having these crazy intense citrus cravings - I was anemic but didn't know it and pica is a symptom. They were getting more and more intense and I literally just panicked with
    via hotheadnchickn
  • the need for citrus. So I stole the orange juice and drank it bc going to buy some would have taken longer than I could bear.
    via hotheadnchickn
  • After that I went to the doctor because clearly something weird was going on.
    via hotheadnchickn
  • antsam9 They went home and according to the schedule they weren't coming back for 3 days so I considered it free game. I washed all their containers afterwards and sent them a text with a pic: you forgot your lunch, I washed your stuff so it won't be gross when you get back.
    via antsam9
  • blackbook668 There are lockers in my workplace that are left open and used as a dumping ground. One day, someone decided to toss a wrapped St. Pierre brioche swirl in one and just leave it there. After a few days of seeing it remaining unmoved I thought "f go to waste" and ate it myself. |, I'm not going to let this
    via blackbook668
  • littlepurplepanda I used to work with someone who came into the office once a fortnight and would buy a load of snacks. And just leave them there. Then two weeks later he would come in again with more crisps and biscuits. That's the only time I've eaten someone else's food in the office.
    via littlepurplepanda

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