Robert Irwin settles unpaid tab and is praised by NSW restaurant

Robert Irwin has made good on his promise to return to a restaurant and pay for a salad he accidentally forgot to settle during a fan frenzy. Photo / 7News

Robert Irwin has made good on his promise to settle his restaurant tab, after he revealed he accidentally forgot to pay for part of a meal at a NSW restaurant before leaving.

The wildlife warrior returned to the Jetty Pavilion in Coffs Harbour to finally pay for his takeaway salad.

Days before, he issued an apology via his Instagram that he accidentally “dined and dashed”.

Irwin told his 7.6 million Instagram followers he stopped in at the eatery to order a takeaway salad before getting distracted by fans wanting a selfie and to say “g’day” to Irwin.

Caught up in the commotion, Irwin quickly said goodbye to the owners and his fans before scurrying off.

In the video, he told his followers: “The next morning I wake up and realise … I never paid for my salad! I just did the old dine and dash!”

He called the venue offering to pay over the phone, but they insisted everything was fine and asked for Irwin to leave a review instead.

Irwin went one better, returning to the scene of the crime to pay for his salad.

The owners of the Jetty Pavilion described Irwin as “class”.

“When Robert Irwin came back to The Pav just to pay for his meal, absolute legend! Humble, kind, and all class,” the venue captioned a video posted to TikTok.

The Jetty Pavilion also said the whole commotion has been good for business.

“Surreal … the outreach from something so simple has been overwhelming,” the owners said to Seven News.

The restaurant even joked they would name the salad after him.

“Hopefully it encourages a few more people to come and experience this place,” Irwin said.