I just got home from my weekly dinner out with my husband and I learned something new. I learned that people actually ditch their checks and walk out sometimes when they eat out. I also learned that at this particular restaurant my husband and I frequent, the waitresses end up getting docked and written up if this happens too much.
The reason this whole topic came up is because I was curious what would happen if we forgot our wallets and couldn’t pay. What would the restaurant do and how would they handle it. We were thinking that they would let us come back and pay it later, which is actually what I found out. However, some people apparently don’t mind stealing a meal.
Personally, I couldn’t ever intentionally steal a meal like that at any restaurant. In fact, I’ve been known to stun a cashier because they give me back an extra penny. Apparently most people aren’t that way.
But again, I was curious about what would happen if me and my husband forgot our wallets because we go to this restaurant at least once a week and sometimes twice. The manager knows us by our nickname and all the waitresses tell us we are their favorite people to wait on because we’re nice and never complain. (That really is true).
And something that is very cool is that since all the people know us at this restaurant, they treat us really great. On our birthdays they give us a free piece of real cake – not that round like muffin cake they give other people. If I want an iced tea to go, they gladly get me a really big cup and give it to me.
But here’s the secret to our weekly dining out. We picked this restaurant because it’s close to our house and we can walk there, and we realized that if we frequent the place enough we can develop relationships with the waitresses. As a result, we’ve had numerous talks about Jesus, we’ve been able to give the waitresses New Testaments and the ladies who serve us have even told us their personal problems – AND I believe we are the only couple the waitresses welcome to the restaurant with hugs.
So it bothers me and my husband when one of our waitresses is taken by scoundrel people. I just thought I’d share that with you 
May 6, 2008 at 4:18 am
Good for you. The other problem I hear of is Christians who leave a tract instead of a tip. I’ve been trained that if they see you pray or hear you talk about your faith, you have a double obligation to be generous with the tip. (I’ll drink water and then tip as if I had a couple of mixed drinks). Besides, estimating 20% (and then rounding up) is easier than getting the 15% down to the last penny. And if you come back regularly, they know who you are.
May 6, 2008 at 4:51 am
Yup, that’s what we do. Last week we gave our waitress a $20 tip which was about $4 less than the actual bill. We did it because of the story she conveyed to us about the people who ditched the check, as a result she had to pay $20 out of her own pocket or get docked. So even though we know it wasn’t our responsibility, the Lord laid on my husbands heart to give a big tip. I’m sure she was blessed