Grex Scruples Conference

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Grex Scruples Item 73: The eat-and-run
Entered by popcorn on Tue Sep 20 02:32:07 UTC 1994:

This item text has been erased.

5 responses total.

#1 of 5 by scg on Tue Sep 20 04:08:45 1994:

That would be a hard question.  If I found out before their food had been
brought, I could tell the waiter and hopefully the resteraunt wouldn't
lose too much money on it.  After they're eating, though, it's hard to see
how telling somebody would really help, considering that it's a little
late to take the food back and give it to somebody else.  Still, I'd feel
really guilty about just letting them do it.

#2 of 5 by md on Tue Sep 20 13:17:17 1994:

I'd tell them that I didn't believe they would do such a thing,
but that since the only way to find out if they were serious or
just pulling my leg would be to sit through the meal and see
what happens, that's what I would do.  I'd add that if they did
leave without paying, I would stay behind and either pay for
the whole thing (assuming I had a credit card with me) or pay
for my own order and explain to the management about the other
two orders.  Then I'd do what I said I would do.  I imagine the
whole process would be tedious and boring, and I'd be pretty
annoyed that I had to be bothered with it.  I would appear to
them to be quite cheerful and accomodating about the whole thing,
however, wimp that I am.  They wouldn't see much of me after
that, though.

#3 of 5 by roz on Sat Sep 24 18:00:16 1994:

I'd be *sure" to ask for separate checks, eat fast, and pay and leave
ahead of the others.

#4 of 5 by ewhisam on Thu Dec 28 02:53:44 1995:

Explain that I only brought enough money for the meal and that we should
settle resolve the matter before pay time. I'm covered anyway so the problem
is a discussion matter of theirs.

#5 of 5 by devnull on Sun Feb 7 20:55:52 1999:

I've never run into this problem.  There have been three occasions when
various friends whom I trust have realized that they don't have money,
and so I've loaned them money so that the restraunt won't be shortchanged
and they've paid me back a half hour later.

(Actually, in one case, the friend noticed that he didn't have enough
money *before* we went to dinner, but we decided it would be most convinient
to visit the ATM after dinner.)

There have been times when I've eaten with a large party and paid an extra
$1 because the total came up short, and it's not clear why it did.  This
happens rarely enough that it's tolerable, although moderately annoying.

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