In a busy restaurant, it can be difficult to get the server’s attention, especially if they are understaffed or have multiple large tables at once.
When customers are less attentive in these situations, some may leave a very small tip, may not want to leave a tip at all, or may choose to leave without paying for their meal in the first place. Previously, he had several people on TikTok share their thoughts on meals and dashes because servers and other waitstaff didn’t deliver their bills in a reasonable time.
But a group of Texas Roadhouse customers appeared to be trying to defuse the situation, scrambling to scrape together enough cash to cover their bills so they could leave in good conscience.
A video posted on TikTok by user Addison (@addisonleigh22), which has more than 183,000 views on the platform, shows her and a friend at a Texas Roadhouse waitress who didn’t bring the bill. They are shown scrambling together money to pay their bills. This video is set to the song “Just a Girl” by No Doubt.
“When the waitress forgot about us and we had to pay with random cash that was in her wallet,” a text overlay appears on the video.
“At least the food was free,” Addison wrote in the caption, hinting that the restaurant may have paid for the table as compensation for the service, or that the customer may not have paid. The Daily Dot was unable to contact Addison regarding the video due to the poster’s TikTok privacy settings.
Eating and dashing can range from simple violations to outright misdemeanors. depending on what condition it occurs inHowever, it is generally considered theft of services.
@addisonleigh22 At least the food was free 😇
Eating and dashing is a common problem for many servers, and several have taken to TikTok to share what its real-life effects are. One waitress asked a customer for their meal on the platform, gulped down a $2.18 bowl of soup, and wrote that she would have rather smuggled the food than been left with an unpaid bill.
In text posted over the video, user @kenzietg_23 wrote, “To anyone sitting at my table who dines and dashes because they don’t want to pay the bill…if you can’t pay $2.18, go eat out. You probably shouldn’t,” he wrote.
In the caption, she added: “Literally $2.18. [have] I was asked to smuggle soup. ”
In another instance, a server caught her large party attempting to leave the restaurant without paying, having exhausted their nearly $600 tab. She called law enforcement and was able to have police arrive in time.
She said the large party began ordering multiple drinks and reached a state of belligerence, so she and her manager refused to serve any more alcoholic beverages to the table. In response, they tried to eat and dash.
She said authorities contacted the family and found they could only pay half of the bill. She suspected her family wasn’t actually going to pay the bill.
*First published: December 18, 2023 at 10am CST
brooke sjoberg
Brooke Sjoberg is a freelance writer for the Daily Dot. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.