A summer story.

This is the story of the the only dine-and-dash I've had (at least for the full bill). It was either last summer or the one before—actually, I think it must have been the one before, which was prior to this blog's existence, or I'm sure I'd've written about it that night.

Anyway, this woman sat out on the patio early in the evening. She said she was waiting for her husband, but would have a margarita while she waited. Half an hour later she was still waiting. She said she was too hungry to wait, and ordered an appetizer and a second margarita. It's not unheard of; sometimes people just don't show up. I had other tables, inside and out, and she just hung around for another half an hour, picking at what she said was her half of the appetizer and sipping her drink. Finally she said he wasn't coming, and asked for a box and the check. As I was heading out of the kitchen and to the patio a few minutes later, I saw her going in to the bathroom. Again, not anything to raise alarm bells. I just put the box and the check on the table to wait.

Fifteen minutes later, still waiting. I thought maybe she was smoking, or on the phone, or something. After half an hour, I gave up and told Lapdog. Surprisingly, he didn't give me any shit, just comped it off. I was quite surprised at the time; I just didn't get that vibe from her. I'm guessing it wasn't planned, but the door our carside staff uses is right next to the bathroom. She probably just saw an opportunity to slip out and took it. Then again, maybe she was just a scammer and I fell for it.