Robert Irwin, the 21-year-old Australian wildlife conservationist and I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! co-host, recently issued a heartfelt apology on Instagram after unintentionally leaving a Coffs Harbour restaurant without paying for his meal.
The incident occurred at The Jetty Pavilion while Irwin was road-tripping along the east coast of New South Wales. Stopping in for dinner, he ordered a $26 Harvest Bowl salad to-go but got caught up in a whirlwind of fans asking for selfies.
“There was a bit of a frenzy,” Irwin explained in his Instagram video. “I made sure I said hi to everyone, thanked them, and then left with my salad. The next morning, I realised, I never paid for it! I felt terrible.”
Irwin shared that he immediately contacted the restaurant to offer his credit card details, but the owners assured him there were no hard feelings. Instead, they humourously asked him to leave a positive review.
Irwin’s Apology Video Goes Viral
Irwin’s Instagram post quickly went viral, gathering thousands of comments and widespread support. In the video, he encouraged his eight million followers to visit The Jetty Pavilion, calling it “the absolute best.” He joked, “Today is not the day I start my life of crime, as much as the tabloids would love that!”
The Jetty Pavilion, affectionately known as “The Pav” by locals, responded warmly, thanking Irwin for the exposure and hinting at renaming the salad after him. “We’re honestly blown away. Being from a humble little coastal town, it means the world to us to have you stop by,” they wrote on Instagram.
They also revealed plans to rename the now-famous Harvest Bowl, which features turmeric cauliflower, quinoa, avocado, pickled vegetables, cherry tomatoes, roasted sweet potato, tahini dressing, and alfalfa sprouts, as the “Robert Irwin Salad.”
