If you don't have the money, you don't get to eat!

United States
December 25, 2009 11:06pm CST
December 25, 2009 The other day I went to Sonic and while I was in the drive-thru one of the car hops came in and asked if the manager could take $3.25 out of his paycheck to cover the remainder of a persons food bill. Of course the manager said no, if the people didn't have enough money they weren't going to get all their food. Who does this? If I don't have the money I don't go out to eat and then try to negotiate the bill with my waiter. Where do these people come from!?!?
9 people like this
30 responses
@bjcyrix (6901)
• Philippines
27 Dec 09
There's a lot of possibility about this situation. Maybe the customer was a friend of the waiter or something like that. It does sound a bit like taking advantage of a friend but again, there are a lot of possible scenarios. Anyway, I get your point, whether it be a friend or a stranger it would be highly unethical to ask the waiter to cover one's bill, even if its just the remainder. If one doesnt have the means to buy extra food then they really shouldnt be ordering and eating them, only to pass on the burden to someone who has served the food itself.
• United States
27 Dec 09
I guess I was just caught off guard by it.
2 people like this
@bjcyrix (6901)
• Philippines
28 Dec 09
I think that would be most people's reaction to that unusual situation. Reading the response below me made me realize that I wouldnt trouble the manager indeed. I would just take cash from my wallet or pocket to cover the short. I wouldnt bother the manager to take it off of my paycheck. Then again, that's just me.
2 people like this
27 Dec 09
No I would never go out to eat either if I didn't have the money!!!
3 people like this
• United States
27 Dec 09
I know you wouldn't.
1 person likes this
• United States
27 Dec 09
probably the same place where the people who say everything is fine until it's bill time,then complain about everything they can think of to try to get their food comped.
3 people like this
• United States
27 Dec 09
Probably, I hope I don't run into them.
2 people like this
• United States
29 Dec 09
that was very nice of the worker to suggest something like that, unfortunalty people sometimes dont se thiersheads, while other mybe run out thinking they have enough. i dont know how to begin t answer this because its one of those hmm what would you do questions?. i realy do hope that this is a case of i ran out the house not reaizing how much i realy had and not an act of stupidity on someone's part.
2 people like this
• United States
30 Dec 09
I hope it was too.
1 person likes this
• United States
26 Dec 09
On one hand I can see your point. If you don't have the money maybe you shouldn't try to go to Sonics, but like most people these days not many people have any money at all. I have been poor my whole life so I am used to it, but the million up millions of people out there who are newly poor may not have the thought process of that sort of thinking and so they are very depressed by not getting to go out. And they could have been homeless and that is the only way to get a hot meal. I keep hearing all this stuff on the news about how the economy is slowly getting better, blah blah blah, but more and more people get laid off of work here every day. The unemployment rate in my city is up to 22% and rising on a daily basis. Not everyone is suited for college and in fact most people aren't. We are excessively over populated by BILLIONS of people in this world. You can only make up so many jobs. There is no solution no matter how many genius pragmatist you have working on it. Economist can theorize all they want, but no one will ever have a decent solution.
2 people like this
• United States
26 Dec 09
My point is about getting something for free when you have some money to buy something else. I know the economy sucks, its worse at holidays.
1 person likes this
@callarse1 (4783)
• United States
26 Dec 09
The sonics by my house doesn't even verify the payment and they give you the food. Hehehehe. I'm sure people have "scammed" them many times (I put that in quotes because they shouldn't be giving food without verifying that the customer paid).
1 person likes this
• United States
26 Dec 09
That's why I said "On one hand I can see your point". But I have learned to not judge people so harshly and try to give MOST people teh benifit of the doubt if I don't know the whole situation. Not everyone can think clearly and not everyone is stable enough to make the right decisions. You are right; they should have went to the grocery store and got a little more food with that money (even thought those prices are rising too, lol).
2 people like this
• United States
27 Dec 09
Yeah thats pretty lame! You cant expect people to do good deeds for you, because thats when they wont. You can eat at home! Its cheaper anywayz! I remember one time, I went to a restaurant and when the Bill was due I discovered that I left my wallet at home. So I ended up having to clean lmao. But I wasnt complaining about it though. I wasnt expecting someone to cough up $30 to pay for my bill. Im not that type of person
3 people like this
• United States
27 Dec 09
We need more of you in the world.
2 people like this
@greysfreak (1384)
• United States
27 Dec 09
Wow, that is pretty crazy. I would never do it. But if I was the carhop, I admit, I most likely would have put up the $3.25 myself and not asked the manager. I wouldn't do it because I felt I had to, because that is crazy that someone would order food if they didn't have all the money to pay for it, but especially being around Christmas, and in a bad economy, and depending on the way the customer acted, I would probably cave and cover the person out of my own pocket. Now, the generosity wouldn't go for someone ordering like 15-20$ worth of food and not being able to pay, but a few dollars I would probably want to help them out, it's just my personality. That being said, it is crazy if they really did ask the person to cover them, but if it was the carhop's idea to ask that then it's a little different, although, I still think they should have just paid out of personal money instead of expecting the manager to go for advancing them money. On the other hand, I don't know how often this kind of thing happens, obviously the gesture I spoke of would not be realistic in every single case.
2 people like this
• United States
27 Dec 09
He might have known them, I'm not sure, but still...
1 person likes this
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
26 Dec 09
It is pretty brazen, but some people feel sorry for them which just encourages the bad behavior. It is like when a street person accosted me at a bus stop after work asking for money for food and after working hard all day I had spent my last $1.25 on a fish sandwich from BK so I said "I don't have any money but if you are really hungry you can have half of my fish sandwich" and the miscreant replied "Some people don't like fish." All the people in line behind me were shaking their heads and exclaiming did you hear that. They thought it was very poor manners of the beggar to be so rude in the face of my kind offer. Well, I was really hungry and glad I had not had to share as that was my only meal that day.
2 people like this
• United States
26 Dec 09
I was taught if you don't have the money, you don't get it.
1 person likes this
@kun2349 (23381)
• Singapore
28 Dec 09
YEah, if one does not have the money, they dun get to eat!! haha =D IF everybody is behaving like them, paying for less than the amount they are eating, what's gonna happen?? Waiters and managers cant be paying for customers all the time?? Very soon, others might start to take advantage of this 'shortfall', and who will suffer?? It's the cafe/resturants!! It's not fair to the mangers and waiters at all!! Imagine their long working hours, and the 'abuse' they have to endure from some unreasonable customers?? ON top of that, they need to fill up the shortfall in payment?? NO way!!
2 people like this
• United States
28 Dec 09
I would never do what those people did, I have more class than that.
2 people like this
@walijo2008 (4644)
• United States
28 Dec 09
Well it was also nice of the car hop to offer take the amount out of his paycheck for the person, I think we should all be thoughtful and kind especially this time of year. Maybe they didn't think their order was going to come out to more than they had. I know I've done that once, and although the place I went didn't take checks, they went ahead and took mine, its because I went off and left my cash at home, it was embarrassing, especially when you've got other people in line waiting too. I always make sure I've got enough money on me if I'm going to eat out somewhere.
2 people like this
• United States
28 Dec 09
I know I should be more giving but I just thought that if you don't have enough money you shouldn't be given a pass.
1 person likes this
@hellcowboy (7374)
• United States
24 Jan 10
That is a crazy that that would happen and I can not believe that the car hop would even have the balls to ask the manager a question like that because that is just silly and who in their right mind would go out without enough money to pay for their food bill,I know I would be embarrassed like all get out if I could not afford my food bill and I would definitely not want to put myself in that situation and I have never ever tried to negotiate the bill with a waiter,and maybe they come from outer space and are aliens lol.
1 person likes this
• United States
26 Jan 10
If you ask for help once then you are more inclined to ask again. He was either too nice or they knew he was a pushover.
1 person likes this
@lyzabelle (1668)
• Philippines
26 Dec 09
What would be the situation like if you are out and eating in a restaurant or fastfood and then when you are about to pay you discovered that your wallet is missing or you forgot and left it behind in the house. What are you going to do? Of course ask for help right IF the waiter offer his help I will accept it and pay him later.
@GardenGerty (157016)
• United States
26 Dec 09
That is an interesting situation. I did not know that the toll booths could do that.
1 person likes this
• United States
26 Dec 09
I've been in that situation. When we moved to Houston, Texas there were a lot of tolls, we had about $15.00 in the car but it seemed to dwindle down with each stop. By the end we didn't have any money in the car, the toll booth attendant had a form that we had to fill out and we paid later.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (157563)
• Boise, Idaho
26 Dec 09
Probably one of those people, ones who don't take anything serious and act like the world owes them a living. I have run into them before. They put on a pretty good act of innocense and stupidity when all the time they know exactly what they are doing. It is sad. This world is full of them. And they are cold as ice and don't care about anyone but themselves. Atleast the car hop had a heart!
• United States
26 Dec 09
I hope he doesn't do that all the time, he wouldn't have a paycheck left.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (157563)
• Boise, Idaho
28 Dec 09
I would think he would learn to be alittle tougher after awhile.
@bunnybon7 (50975)
• Holiday, Florida
31 Dec 09
perhaps 2 or so went out to eat and someone thought one other was buying. i've had people do that before to me. in fact i used to have a supposed friend invite me to lunch then say she had no money on her. forgot to bring it or something luckily i had money to pay but needless to say, after i bought her lunch 2 times i didnt go any more and this woman wasnt poor!! or perhaps it was a test from God to see if the manager and waitress had a heart i was told that Howard Hughes once played a game of not having bus fare when he was young and that he gave the person that paid for him a lot of money later.
1 person likes this
• United States
26 Jan 10
That may be but if you cheat people it comes back triple.
@bunnybon7 (50975)
• Holiday, Florida
31 Dec 09
btw, my mom used to say if you help someone it comes back to you double
1 person likes this
• United States
26 Dec 09
I agree with you. Going out is a luxury, not a necessity. I can't believe that someone would pull that on a restaurant. And, why would the waiter want to cover for that guy unless he/she is a friend of that person.
1 person likes this
• United States
27 Dec 09
I don't know, I wouldn't do it.
@GardenGerty (157016)
• United States
26 Dec 09
Wow, I think we are all getting to think we are an entitled society or something. Those carhops work hard. Imagine them wanting to help someone have a meal. I wonder if it was a friend, or what. That is bizarre.
• United States
26 Dec 09
They didn't have enough money but they still wanted everything. I would have told them they could have a drink and that was all.
• Canada
31 Dec 09
I don't understand why people do this either. If I am going to go somewhere I make sure I have the money. OK, the odd time I legitimately forget my wallet (it usually falls out of my purse at home) but in those cases I'll go home and get it. That happened to me yesterday, and I just stayed on the bus till it went back past my house, and then i got my wallet, and went back out again.
1 person likes this
• United States
31 Dec 09
You and I need to start a movement.
@callarse1 (4783)
• United States
26 Dec 09
All I can say is the Sonic in my city are very nice like what you describe. Here is what happened: We were out their car stop (to eat it in our car), their credit card reader didn't work so it never charged us for it. They brought us the food and didn't even ask for the payment, hehehe . We're the type that we are not going to leave without paying so we rang them and told them they never took our card, so they finally came out and ran the card. Another thing I noticed, is they gave us our food without verifying we paid! I don't know any business that does that. Now you're telling me the workers are offering their money to pay for our food. We all should go to Sonic, hehehe. But seriously (I was joking cos we do pay for our food), people try to get out of paying all the time. I know people who will complain to the manager just to get free/discounted food when their food was perfectly fine.
1 person likes this
@callarse1 (4783)
• United States
27 Dec 09
Yes, you're right. But our point is: a) don't order the food if you cannot pay, and b) the workers must verify they received the payment before giving food out. That is a business loss if they're giving food away for free to customers without any due cause.
• United States
26 Dec 09
I've had that happen where the credit machine wasn't working outside so they ran it inside.
1 person likes this
@ladym33 (10979)
• United States
27 Dec 09
That was really generous of the waiter to want to do that for those people, but not very cool of them to put him in that kind of position. We used to have some friends that we hung out with all time time, they are still friends but we don't hang out with them that often anymore though, but we would all go out to eat, and they would want to split the bill and they would order $30.00 worth of food and then when the bill came they would announce they only had $20.00 on them. They constantly tried to pull over some variation of that, where they never had enough money for the amount of food they had. So the rest of us would end up shelling out extra to pay for their stuff. Of course after this happened a few times nobody wanted to go out for dinner with them anymore. You are right if you don't have the money to pay for it don't order it.
• United States
27 Dec 09
With friends like that...
@ronnyb (6113)
• Jamaica
26 Jan 10
Yes it makes you wonder too where they are from ,I mean I would rather stay at my home and cook some food rather than go out to eat and not have any money,it saves me the embarrassment.
1 person likes this
• United States
26 Jan 10
You can be in my club then.