A RESTAURATEUR has been left high and dry after dropping an envelope full of cash takings into the sea.
Phil Keen, who owns the Terrace Restaurant in Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight, was bringing the cash to the local post office on Tuesday.
However, while leaning over the harbour wall trying to straighten a sign, the envelope slipped out of the 72-year-old’s pocket and into the sea.
Having managed to retrieve it, the post office refused to accept it unless it was dry, resulting in him laying each individual note out on a towel.
Seizing the opportunity to make people laugh, Phil’s son-in-law, the restaurant’s general manager Tom Fahey, took to social media yesterday.
He posted a picture of the notes lying on the towel, joking that Phil was “literally laundering money”.
The unfortunate incident came about after the post office’s systems were down, resulting in Phil deciding to take the cash to the harbour master for safekeeping.
Having been distracted by a wonky sign at the harbour, he leaned over the wall to straighten it, the envelope sliding out of his pocket and into the water below.
Due to it being filled with coins, it immediately sank.
Fortunately, Phil was able to get a young lad with a diving mask to go down and retrieve it for the princely sum of £100.
However, the notes were soaked through, and upon returning to the post office when their systems were back up and running, they refused to take the cash.
Tom, 47, shared the snap to social media yesterday with the caption: “Yesterday, [Phil] dropped our cash takings in the sea.
“Having sent down a diver he is now literally laundering money.”
It has since received a host of likes and comments from social media users left in stitches by the unfortunate incident.
One, a friend of Tom’s, joked: “Wait, what? I know you do things differently on the island but this is ridiculous.”
Tom replied: “Yes, on Jersey this sort of thing is institutionalised,” cheekily referring to the tax-free status on the Channel Island.
Another quipped: “All we get in South Florida are bricks of coke.”
A third wrote: “Why did you do that Phil? Seems a bit silly to me.”
Speaking today, Tom joked: “We typically frown upon restaurants laundering money, but if it’s the only way to bank takings I suppose it’ll have to do.
“The post office wouldn’t take the money as it smelled like the harbour, so it was our only option.”
This isn’t the first time one of Tom’s posts has attracted attention online.
In 2022, he responded to a two-star TripAdvisor review from a guest complaining about the limited menu and having to pay £7.50 for a glass of Prosecco.
Although he admitted to enjoying telling guests off for not understanding how restaurants work, he had to delete the response as it was met with some negative comments.
He also felt it did not reflect the tone of an establishment committed to the happiness of their guests.
