Police are warning restaurant and coffee shop customers in Chicago to watch their belongings following eight reported thefts in which individuals posing as charity fundraisers stole valuables from unsuspecting diners.

The thefts occurred between Oct. 7 and Oct. 18 in the Loop, West Loop and Near South Side neighborhoods, according to a Chicago Police Department business alert issued Oct. 21.

Police said the individuals approached diners and placed flyers or newspapers over their wallets, purses or cellphones while engaging them in conversation. They then allegedly slipped the belongings underneath the paper and walked away with the stolen property.

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In several instances, victims' bank or credit cards were used shortly afterward at nearby department stores, according to police.

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Surveillance video obtained by FOX 32 Chicago shows employees at Meli Café chase a man out of the business during an incident on Oct. 7.

An employee told FOX 32 Chicago he saw his co-worker attempting to kick someone out and then heard a lady yell, "He has my phone."

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The employee said he confronted the individual and restrained him until the woman said she found her phone. Once he let the man go, he said, another woman screamed, "No, he has my phone, too."

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Police described the individuals involved in several of the thefts as wearing dark clothing and face coverings. Police also listed a late-model white Buick and a black Mazda sedan in connection with the incidents.

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Diners in the area have been urged to secure their valuables and avoid leaving wallets, phones or keys unattended on restaurant tables or counters.

Customers at America's biggest buffet chain can pile their plates high with steak, shrimp and comfort food favorites, but behind the all-you-can-eat spread is a carefully calculated balancing act, according to a new report.

Golden Corral has developed a sophisticated system to keep the buffet model viable despite challenging economic conditions, The Wall Street Journal recently reported.

The chain, with roughly 350 restaurants across the U.S., predominantly in the South and Southeast, offers about 150 different buffet items. What customers might not realize is that they are carefully arranged into "modules" that mix expensive and inexpensive foods, CEO Lance Trenary told the Journal.

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Pricier items like meat and seafood are paired with lower-cost items like hush puppies and french fries. Meatloaf goes side-by-side with potatoes, gravy and green beans, for example.

"We have to be pretty creative in the way that we present our menu," Trenary told the Journal.

The chain also has to adapt to changes in the market.

As beef prices have shot up, Golden Corral added a bone-in fried pork chop as a cheaper alternative to sirloin. 

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The pork chop costs the chain only about 40% of what the sirloin costs, so every customer who chooses pork instead of steak helps reduce Golden Corral's overall food costs.

Quality also matters more at a buffet, where customers can simply discard a poorly prepared dish and return for something else.

Golden Corral tries to prevent that by keeping food fresh, making about 80% of its buffet items in-house and preparing only what it expects customers to eat. The chain uses demand data to forecast needs in 15-minute increments rather than cooking large quantities in advance and leaving them under food warmers.

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But the careful approach doesn't mean it has been smooth sailing for Golden Corral.

"This has been a difficult year for us, don't get me wrong," Trenary said. "We are trying to at least tread water."

About 38 cents of every dollar Golden Corral brings in goes toward food, while the chain is trying to keep its dinner buffet priced below $20 at many locations. 

Selling drinks separately helps bring in additional revenue, but rising food and other costs are making the all-you-can-eat model increasingly difficult to sustain.

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Still, the promise of getting more food for a set price remains appealing to budget-conscious diners and other restaurant chains have leaned into that appeal, according to industry data.

Red Lobster, Applebee's and Olive Garden are among those offering different types of unlimited promotions. 

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Major chains rolled out about 150 such deals in the first half of 2026 — roughly four times the number offered in 2021, according to Technomic data.

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Fox News Digital reached out to Golden Corral for comment.