‘Sir, you didn’t have money to pay for the drinks you just got’: A Colorado server just busted a man’s bizarre dine and dash plan

Working in the service industry is a unique experience that teaches you a lot about human behavior, especially when it comes to reading the room. A Colorado server recently shared her own experience with a customer who raised every red flag in the book. The TikToker, who goes by the handle @lilsaltine7, posted a video that has already racked up over 8,000 views and was covered by BroBible.

In the video, she is sitting in her car and reflecting on a particularly strange shift where a solo guest seemed determined to order as much as possible without having the funds to back it up. It all started when the man sat down by himself and began placing a massive order.

Sarah noted that he was asking for tons of mixed drinks, specifically requesting many of them as doubles. He did not stop there, as he continued to pile on appetizers, entrees, and extra sides. It is a situation that would make any experienced server suspicious. As Sarah explained in her video, “If it’s like a small amount of people, and they’re ordering a ton of food, people like that are the type to dine and dash.”

Sarah spotted a pattern that often signals someone has no intention of actually paying for the feast they are consuming

The situation came to a head when Sarah brought over the check at the end of the meal. The man attempted to pay, but his card was declined right there at the table. He then pulled out his banking app to show Sarah that his account was empty. It is a pretty awkward moment for everyone involved, but the story took a surprising turn when a couple sitting nearby decided to intervene.

They had overheard the whole debacle and offered to cover the cost of his food. Sarah’s manager ended up comping the drinks on the tab, and they allowed the generous couple to pay for the rest of his meal. Sarah mentioned that if it were up to her, she would have just comped the whole thing to get him out of the restaurant faster.

The most bizarre part of the encounter happened after she told the man his bill was taken care of. Instead of being grateful or embarrassed, he looked her dead in the eyes and said, “Aw, I wanted to get another drink.” It is honestly hard to wrap your head around that level of entitlement. Sarah’s reaction was spot on when she replied, “Sir, you didn’t have money to pay for the drinks you just got.”

This kind of behavior is unfortunately more common than you might think. According to Pub Club, many servers are trained to keep an eye out for solo diners who order significantly more food than they could reasonably consume in one sitting.

The logic is simple, as these guests often order way more than they need because they never plan to pay for it anyway. It is not just solo diners either. BroBible previously reported on a situation where a woman and two small children ordered five full-sized entrees before skipping out on the bill entirely.

The community on Reddit has also been very vocal about these types of experiences. On the r/ServerLife subreddit, many industry workers have shared similar stories about orders that tipped them off that a table was planning to dash. One user wrote, “They ordered one of the most expensive things on the menu, two appetizers, two glasses of wine, and a kids meal.”

Another server shared a story about a table that ordered apps, expensive entrees, drinks, desserts, and coffee. The bill ended up being around $150. The server dropped the check, walked to the back of the restaurant, and by the time they turned around, the guests were already gone.

While it is tempting to try and stop these people by limiting what they can order, it is usually ill-advised. Servers can offer guidance on portion sizes or try to clarify the order, but they generally cannot stop a guest from ordering as much as they want based on a hunch. Instead, the consensus among experienced servers on forums like Reddit is that it is better to call the police to report the theft.