Old couple probably got hoodwinked in restaurant

[BRD@66]

A couple of weeks ago, we took our 2 kids & one grandkid to dinner at Deckhand Oyster Bar in Round Rock - a birthday celebration. Pretty good food, pretty good service. The bill was ~$110. The waitress was the cashier. I don't pay by credit card in this scenario. So, cash - a bunch of $20s and $10s including a $20 tip from my SWMBO/CFO. Waitress leaves with the knowledge that we don't need change & comes back a few seconds later. She approaches my grown son - not we who paid for the meal. Whispers in sons ear & gives him the bill. He passes the bill back to me. Evidently we short-changed her on the tip & were (by my count) ~$20 short, ie, no tip. SWMBO hands over another twenty immediately, succumbing to the embarrassment factor & never once suspecting fraud. Lesson learned: I will from now on, especially on a high dollar meal tab, count out the money at the table in the waitstaffs presence.

 

[Mowingmaniac 24/7]

Did you make an honest counting error or did you get swindled?

I can't tell from your post.

If you only suspect you got swindled, you might consider a call to manager and discuss your concerns.

If he has noticed this type thing a pattern, then yeah, you probably got swindled.

If he has nothing but good to say about the waitress, then you may have just made a counting error.

 

[Dawico]

This is why I only carry hundreds and tell them to keep the change. Even if I just buy a pack of gum.

 

[benenglish]

I tell every cashier (grocery, restaurant, convenience store, etc.) the same thing: "Count it carefully. I mis-count all the time." Then I watch 'em count it in front of me.

The truth is that I do miscount an embarrassingly high percentage of the time, especially if I'm paying with more than 5 or 6 bills. I generally give 'em too much money when I miscount but I've certainly made mistakes in the other direction, too.

In restaurants where I'm supposed to put the cash in a little portfolio, I tend to spread the bills out so that all the denominations are visible simultaneously, sticking out the top of the folio. When the waitress picks it up, I generally ask "Is that right?" They see that the amount is more than the tab, thus confirming they've gotten a tip. I say "No change" and they acknowledge. That's an implicit agreement that I've made the full payment with tip. At that point, even if a mistake has been made, they can't come back on me about it.

 

[TheDan]

Using a credit card for stuff like this give you a fair amount of protection. Its pretty easy to dispute the charge if they decide to overcharge you.

Do you remember the waitress's name? I goto Deckhand occasionally...

 

[AustinN4]

Using a credit card for stuff like this give you a fair amount of protection. Its pretty easy to dispute the charge if they decide to overcharge you.

I use cards for just about everything. Only had 1 problem in 20+ years and it was taken off my account quickly after I called.

 

[BRD@66]

Did you make an honest counting error or did you get swindled?

I can't tell from your post.

If you only suspect you got swindled, you might consider a call to manager and discuss your concerns.

If he has noticed this type thing a pattern, then yeah, you probably got swindled.

If he has nothing but good to say about the waitress, then you may have just made a counting error.

I doubt we miscounted but really don't know. Your thoughts are my thoughts on contacting mgr - just haven't followed through yet. For the future, my thoughts are same as Benenglish on this matter. Thanks.

 

[zincwarrior]

Talking to the manager after the event has occurred... just think about that from the manager's perspective. There is absolutely no reason to believe you are not swindlers. You literally have no proof.

 

[BRD@66]

Talking to the manager after the event has occurred... just think about that from the manager's perspective. There is absolutely no reason to believe you are not swindlers. You literally have no proof.

What? <don't answer that, it's rhetorical.

 

[bones_708]

Any server who did something like that with any regularity would be found out in short order. If she is any good at her job and it's a decent place to work $20 is just not enough to try and pull a scam. Way to risky for the return.

 

[Hoji]

We typically pay for a meal with a CC and write 0.00 in the tip line, and then tip in cash.

 

[joking]

We typically pay for a meal with a CC and write 0.00 in the tip line, and then tip in cash.

^^^ this

 

[Lucas Mccain]

This happened to me once at Joe's Crab Shack. I ended up not giving any more money because I was sure I didn't short change the waiter. The waiter actually asked me if I wasn't going to tip and I just replied that it was in the amount I gave him and he can do that math. Later my wife counted the money from my wallet and the cash we had in the house and the receipt in my wallet and everything added up to where we gave him a $10 tip. He was trying to scam me. I called Joe's the next day and the guy was already fired.

 

[JD9305]

CC and its easier to protect yourself. I know that older gentleman and ladies still prefer cash methods of payment but its just too easy to get swindled in that situation. I think if you do what Ben said in front of them then you would be OK, funny story that goes in line with this one but it happened 15 years or so ago....Buddy and I stopped in at Sugars in Austin(topless mens club for you guys not in Austin) for lunch. Buddy decided on a lap dance after we ate our 10 dollar steak lunch and then he paid her with a 100 dollar bill. She left and came back with 30 bucks and said that my buddy gave her a 50. Of course we drug the manager in this situation and long story short he sided with her. There are too many folks out there trying to make a quick buck by screwing over other folks for me to be dealing in cash at a retail environment.

 

[ZX9RCAM]

CC and its easier to protect yourself. I know that older gentleman and ladies still prefer cash methods of payment but its just too easy to get swindled in that situation. I think if you do what Ben said in front of them then you would be OK, funny story that goes in line with this one but it happened 15 years or so ago....Buddy and I stopped in at Sugars in Austin(topless mens club for you guys not in Austin) for lunch. Buddy decided on a lap dance after we ate our 10 dollar steak lunch and then he paid her with a 100 dollar bill. She left and came back with 30 bucks and said that my buddy gave her a 50. Of course we drug the manager in this situation and long story short he sided with her. There are too many folks out there trying to make a quick buck by screwing over other folks for me to be dealing in cash at a retail environment.

They don't want customers dancing in there.....

 

[peeps]

We typically pay for a meal with a CC and write 0.00 in the tip line, and then tip in cash.

We do this a lot as well, with the small change of writing "cash" in the tip line so the waiter knows instantly we left a tip in cash. Using CC is so easy....we keep cash on hand only for rare instances and emergency.

 

[zincwarrior]

Why do you not tip with the cc? Not a criticism, a question.

 

[ZX9RCAM]

Why do you not tip with the cc? Not a criticism, a question.

I figure wait staff prefers cash...

 

[zincwarrior]

I figure wait staff prefers cash...

Oh ok. Thanks

 

[coachrick]

Why do you not tip with the cc? Not a criticism, a question.

There are places(especially in Italy, I'm told) where the waitstaff sees VERY LITTLE of the tip amounts left on CC. Of course, tipping in cash gives THEM the opportunity to be creative with the accounting. On rare occasions, I've been known to tip the 'minimum' on the card and then boost the tip with cash...what happens after that isn't up to me. I figure there is some hanky panky being played on both fronts.