Hot Commodity

Sure, restaurant conglomerate Brinker International has seen its stock price fall 20 percent in the last year, but some still see value in its most famous franchise, Chili’s.

Salon.com reports that four fans of the ubiquitous chain in Bennington, Vt. made off with the giant chili pepper sign on the restaurant’s roof at 4 a.m. Monday morning. The conspirators, all students or recent grads, tripped the alarm, however, and were arrested for the ill-conceived prank.

It might have taken a degree to plan the heist. The four robbers ran an extension cord over 470 feet of a four-lane highway to a Home Depot to power a drill that was used – along with a hacksaw -- to remove the sign.

The sign itself cost $8,000. But what’s eight grand when you could broadcast your love of the awesome blossom to the world in neon?

Photo courtesy The Truth About, via Flickr.