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Veg Head Customer Takes Food From Unlocked Store, Leaves Cash to Pay for It

 "People do the right thing," said Veg Head's owner Lynn Kardasz.
"People do the right thing," said Veg Head's owner Lynn Kardasz.
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DNAinfo/Patty Wetli

NORTH CENTER — Someone walked into Veg Head market after the store closed Wednesday, swiped a serving of breakfast quinoa ... and paid for it.

"I'm not mad," said owner Lynn Kardasz. "They didn't steal anything, they just looked around."

Kardasz had closed up shop at 4064 N. Lincoln Ave. before running errands, but the door popped open thanks to a lock she didn't realize was broken.

When she returned hours later, she found six dollars on the counter and the missing quinoa, which Kardasz has dubbed "the crack of North Center — people love it."

Her theory: A customer pulled on the door, it opened, they searched for an employee to ring up their purchase and not finding anyone at home, pulled out six singles and left.

The mailman also made a delivery during the same timeframe, she noted.

"I thought to myself, 'People are good. People do the right thing,'" said Kardasz.

She later learned that a number of neighboring business owners had emailed and called about the open door.

"The community was looking out for me," said Kardasz, who opened Veg Head, a healthy take on the convenience store concept, in September 2013.

By the way, the quinoa only costs $4.50. So not only did her mystery customer pay for the food, "they left me a tip," she said.