The Walloon Hotel in Ipswich has hit the headlines this week for declaring a 7-day “glass amnesty”.
The 126-year-old pub, also known as the ‘Walloon Saloon’, put the call out to punters to return glasses.
Owner Stewart Gibson posted the request on Facebook after getting tired of spending $200-$300 each week on replacements.
“Dust off those misplaced glasses and bring them back—NO QUESTIONS ASKED!
“Let’s reunite these wayward vessels with their rightful home at the Saloon,” the post read.
In a creative move, Gibson has also offered a free schooner for those who return missing glassware.
The first to take up this offer was local Scotty, who returned six schooner glasses.
Each schooner glass costs $3.75, yet only one quarter of the weekly losses are due to breakage.
While Gibson speculated on reasons for the misappropriation, which included the cost-of-living crisis and a desire for keepsakes, the main cause of the losses is punters taking the last schooner of the night home as a traveller.
The Facebook posts have been received positively, with many locals naming and shaming their friends.
Some joked they would have no glassware left, while others admitted to holding onto the pub’s glassware for decades.
A nearby establishment, The Peak Pub, liked the hotel’s idea.
“It’s either stop (people from) taking them or drink out of s***y plastic cups,” The Peak Pub said.
Stewart Gibson and family acquired the Walloon Hotel six years ago and are currently refurbishing the venue.
