LC
you said this “Until you’ve paid, the food is not yours. What gives anyone the right to consume someone else’s property’? ”
That is a verbatim quote.
you now acknowledge that this rule (“Until you’ve paid, the food is not yours”) Is not absolute, and there are situations where you can consume food prior to paying, since in a restaurant “By placing an order, you are entering into a verbal contract…” (putting aside the fact that I dont believe this is factual, as you cant sue the owner if he fails to provide the order) Who is to say that by placing the items in my cart I am not entering a verbal contract making them mine with the condition that I pay for them later.
The truth is you dont need lomdus to frame it this way. The real answer to the restaurant has nothing to do with a “verbal contract” rather that is what is done. So it isnt stealing. Ditto for a snack in a supermarket. while not done as often as eating in a restaurant, it is not unusual thus is acceptable.