For years, Kellner pocketed thousands of euros

That God’s mills grind slowly was demonstrated again on Thursday during a hearing at the Feldkirch Regional Court. The defendant (28), who now works as a restaurant manager in Switzerland, had to answer for various ‘legacy issues’ in the Zillertal and Vorarlberg. It concerns corporate theft from 2017 to 2023. The time when the Inner Austrian worked as a waiter in various restaurants. According to the prosecutor’s allegations, the suspect not only stole cigarettes and chips, but also repeatedly pocketed employees’ earnings and tips. The damage is reportedly around 17,000 euros.

During the trial, the suspect only admitted partial guilt. For example, in the case where no tips were paid to three service employees in Lech: “For two employees, I did not see why they should receive the same share as the others, since they were only there for two weeks. The third waiter did not do the final cleaning properly,” said the suspect.

Handle safely
The 28-year-old denies that another 3,000 euros were missing from the tip box. His argument: “Since Corona, guests no longer tip so much. We only received a pack of Toffifee once at a wedding as a thank you.” The suspect also has an explanation for grabbing the safe of the Lech restaurant. A colleague was on sick leave at the time and asked him to look in the safe to see if her three waiter’s bags were still there.

For judge Alexander Wehinger this is not a very credible explanation. Especially because the waitress in question suddenly lost 1,000 euros from her wallet. Because two witnesses failed to appear, the trial was postponed indefinitely.