Some life lessons can be expensive — and this incident was no exception. A recent Reddit post on r/AITA explains an incident that happened at the restaurant that the poster chose to eat at, which resulted in her being accused of not paying the bill. Here’s what we know.
Our story started when the poster had just finished eating with her date, mutually deciding with the partner that they would tip generously for the excellent service and food that they had received.
Distractify confirms that the bill had been $46, which many might see as reasonable for a meal out. The poster noted, per the outlet, that both she and her date are compensated well at work, and like to share the value where they can — such as tipping well when they are provided with services.
The poster detailed her tipping and payment process in the post, noting that she had chosen to leave a $200 cash tip.
“I left cash on the table after the check came and, not needing change, we got up and left,” the post read. “Our server ran us down at the door and somewhat angrily demanded we must pay and we couldn’t just run out on the bill. I asked her if she had looked at the table and she said she hadn’t.”
Dine and dashes, while theft, aren’t uncommon. Data suggests that 5% of people have dined and dashed at least once in their lives, leaving promptly after the meal was finished without paying. This, especially for smaller or family-run restaurants, can have a heavy impact on their bottom line and sustainability — and should generally be avoided, as it is considered stealing.
Despite this, the post details a situation that wasn’t a dine-and-dash case at all. Once the waitress met the r/AITA poster at the door (who goes by OttoBonz on Reddit), the situation escalated.
“I walked back with her,” the poster confirmed, “…took the $200 and replaced it with $50. Enough to cover the bill and leave a small tip. I toddler her I would have appreciated it if she would have glanced at the table first or approached us with a question instead of assuming…she seemed embarrassed and we parted ways.”
Reactions from the r/AITA crowd were mixed, with some accusing the original poster (OP) of “karma farming” in an attempt to gain points with other members of Reddit. Others applauded her confidence, noting how assumptive society has been as of late. And lastly, there were members of the crowd who commented on the server’s behavior while encouraging other tactics beyond taking a tip.
A user named MiskatonicUAlum commented: “…most of the time, that dine and dash loss comes out of their earnings…I empathize with her panic over thinking you were walking out on your check…There are better ways to handle that misunderstanding all around.”
