Blaming Others For Your Problems
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“A guy I was really into said he wanted to ‘treat me to dinner.’ I agreed. I ordered the cheapest things on the menu and he ordered the priciest drinks and entree. I’m a broke college student and had like $10 left to my name at the time. We got the bill, he tried to run his card, it was declined. He kept arguing with the waitress, saying that there were ‘hundreds of dollars’ on his card, and he demanded that she run it again.
I followed her to the computer and said that I’d give her all my cash and I’d leave my phone number and would get the rest of the money and tip to her the next time she was scheduled to work. I’m a waitress myself and felt horrible, and I apologized profusely. She was understanding about it and two days later, I came back, paid the rest of the bill, and gave her a huge tip. The guy kept trying to give her trouble and got real nasty with her at one point, and that was the moment I realized I’d never talk to him again.”
The Staff Has To Be There So Customers Can Pay
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“One time I was unable to pay my bill because the entire staff seemingly vanished on me.
My wife (then girlfriend) and her friend were out at a diner open 24/7. It was around 11 pm on a Tuesday and we ordered some grub. We got our order but hated the food. However, we could not complain that my wife’s chicken was undercooked, her friend’s burger was burnt and my calamari was like trying to chew on rubber because no one was around.
We finished our drinks and waited for SOMEONE, ANYONE in the restaurant to show up. But after 15 minutes, no one did. Other tables of people were looking around in shock, too. I went to the swinging double doors to the kitchen and all I heard was yelling and screaming from somewhere within. We waited another 15 minutes and finally just decided to leave.
I told the girls to ‘just go’ (because I was paying anyway) so they got in my girlfriend’s friend’s car and took off. I smoked on the front patio, waited a few minutes, then got in my car and left.
That was the only time I never paid for a meal I got in a restaurant, but hey, I wasn’t able to. The entire staff that night were in some epic battle or something. They didn’t even come out from the back room for at least 30 minutes. Some of the other customers followed my lead and did the same thing.
They had security cameras in the parking lot but I never did hear anything about that.”
Scrambling For Cash
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“I was 14 and went to a Chinese buffet with two of my friends. I had just gotten my first ATM card and, being an idiot, never thought that there would be places that were cash only.
The old stereotypical Chinese manager was actually getting angry. I was terrified. I told him I would go to the bank next door and come right back. He actually moved between me and my two friends, crossed his arms, and in a thick accent said, ‘You go. Your friends stay here!’ I’ll never forget that moment.
Of course, it wasn’t my bank and they charged me $2 for the transaction. The problem was I only had $20 and change in my account (I don’t know about anywhere else but ATMs in Canada don’t have anything smaller than twenties). I had to run to a bunch of different stores until I found one that could give me extra cash with a debit transaction. When we finally left the restaurant, my friends told me the guy stood there, glaring at them the entire time I was gone. I took so long that they started to think I had run out on them.”
When You Hang Around The Wrong Crowd…
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“I went with a group of friends to a Chili’s and while I wasn’t hungry, I had a few drinks. The rest of the party, around 8 people other than myself, ate and drank merrily. The server came with the bill and I gave her the money for my drinks and tossed her a 1oz silver ingot I had, as is my custom as a tip for excellent service of which she did provide.
I walked out and the rest of the people followed suit, once we had met up again at a friend’s home, they all laughed and said they had not paid and had skipped out on the check. I was not angry, but a little later on when a friend of mine who happened to work there told me that the waitress had to pay the bill for the idiots who had walked out, I was sad and a little angry, but what can you do?”
Saved By The Kindness Of Strangers
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“My wife is divorced, her son lives with his dad in Wisconsin, we’re in North Dakota.
I had to work, so Wifey had driven to Wisconsin on her own to bring the boy back for the summer. On the way back, she and he filled up with gas right away in the morning and headed back to North Dakota.
Their first stop, after two and a half hours, was at a truck stop we almost always stopped at. They decided to be decadent and ordered apple pie and French fries for lunch, and they sat at the Trucker Counter, on the little diner stools, all of which was like visiting an alien planet to the boy.
The bill came, and Wifey got out her purse — only to find her debit card was missing. The restaurant wouldn’t take a check, and Wifey didn’t have enough cash to cover it.
Wifey immediately called me and while we were working out the options, she suddenly stopped talking to me and I could hear her, away from the phone, something completely unexpected.
