Sure, the economy is bad these days, but has it really come to this? HOH hears that patrons have been stealing hot chocolate packets from the cafe in the basement of the Capitol.

In fact, the problem has gotten so bad that cafe employees moved the packets into a closet that can only be accessed by staff upon request.

A tipster who went looking for a piping cup of cocoa last week was informed by a cashier that an entire box of packets — approximately 20 to 30 servings in total — recently went missing, prompting the change.

“Maybe times are hard for everybody, really hard,” our spy jokes.

A source with Restaurant Associates, the company that manages the cafeterias, tells HOH the company did not order the change. Sounds like hiding the packets may be the work of a cafe employee with a flair for vigilante justice.