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Robert Irwin, the son of late conservationist and television personality Steve Irwin, issued an apology after realizing he accidentally dined and dashed from a popular restaurant in Australia.
“Hi guys, Robert here. So I have a funny story. I’m road-tripping down the East Coast of Australia at the moment and I stopped in at Coffs Harbour, which is a beautiful coastal town in northern NSW, for a bit of dinner," Irwin, 21, said in a video shared on his Instagram account, tagging the restaurant's page in the caption.
“I went in there and there was a lot of people who saw me and wanted a photo but it turned into a bit of a frenzy,” he added.
Irwin said he completely forgot to pay for his food after chatting with fans, only realizing the mistake the following day.
“They got the salad done super fast and I made sure I said hi to absolutely everyone,” he said. “Then the next morning I wake up and realize, I never paid for my salad. I just did the old dine and dash and didn’t even realize. I felt terrible.”
Irwin said he contacted the restaurant upon his realization and offered to pay for his meal remotely, but they declined.
“They said, ‘We love what you do, it’s all good, sorry for the mix-up — just leave us a good review,'” he told fans. “So I said, ‘Guys, Jetty Pavilion, I’m going to do you one better.'”
The 21-year-old urged his 7.6 million followers to support the small business and said he would personally return in the future.
“I’ll be coming back up through Coffs Harbour and I’ll give you the money myself,” he said. “Today is not the day I start my life of crime, as much as the tabloids would love that, it’s not happening.”
Robert's sister, Bindi, also gave a shoutout to the restaurant on the post.
"Followed! Yay @jettypavilioncoffs 🎉," she wrote on her brother's post.
Robert and Bindi followed in their late father's footsteps as conservationists and zookeepers. Steve Irwin, the son of Bob Irwin, who founded the Australian Zoo, which is now owned by Terri, died in 2006 from an injury caused by a stingray while filming an underwater documentary in the Great Barrier Reef.