With restaurant prices going up, it’s no surprise that many are finding it difficult to dine out. According to a Morning Consult survey from June of last year, 84% of respondents claimed that they were eating out less often due to inflation. Many polled also claimed that inflation has changed their dining habits in other ways, including purchasing less meat and produce.
That said, rather than giving up restaurants, others have attempted strange methods to try to combat high prices. One such method was recently shared by TikTok user Steph (@sassyserver0529) in a video with over 10,000 views.
In the video, Steph claims that a regular customer came in and asked for a table, noting that he expected the other couple they were eating with to pay the bill. However, if they didn’t, he had a request—could Steph or one of the other servers lend him $50?
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This isn’t the first time Steph has sparked a discussion online with her server content. Earlier this month, she told a story about calling the police on a customer who left their dog in a hot car. She’s also shared tales of brides with absurd expectations and complained about large parties who demand separate checks.
As for this case, Steph says the customer was insistent that one of the other servers front him $50 on the chance that he needed to pay for his portion of the bill.
“Luckily, the other couple paid the entire tab, because he was seriously hustling all of us for $50,” she says at the end of the video.
In an email to the Daily Dot, Steph said that this was the first time something like this had ever happened to her.
“In my 16 years in the service industry, no one has ever asked for a loan of any kind; especially not an employee,” she detailed.
She also said that experiencing this provoked a discussion amongst the staff, which led to the workers confronting the man when he returned.
“We discussed our minds being blown that anyone would ever ask this of us,” she said. “This man actually came back the very next week and tried this again but with a different employee. He’s a long term regular and has never done anything like this before. Management addressed the issue with him on his second attempt to get a loan from the staff. He let the guest know that this was business and the employees are not to give or loan guests money for any reason. He agreed that his behavior was unacceptable and wouldn’t do that again.”
As for why the man may have thought he could do this in the first place, Steph has some theories.
“I think the guest thought it was OK because he has such a good relationship with the employee he asked to borrow money from,” she explained. “Those two always laugh and joke with one another every time he comes in. The staff member he asked has been with us for 20 years and he has been a guest for about the same amount of time. So, they’ve gotten to know each other over the years. That’s the only reason we could come with that he felt he could ask her for money.”
In response to the video, commenters expressed their view that, if you can’t pay, you should not go to a restaurant.
“If you cannot pay your bill you cannot go out. It is very simple,” stated one commenter.
“Not happening,” echoed another. “Don’t come to a restaurant if you can’t pay.”
“Or how about you wash dishes for the night!” exclaimed a third user. “That’s what they used to do.”
