To Pay, or Not To Pay?

I received some really nice feedback after my initial posting, so thanks to those of you who actually read this thing. I was beginning to worry that I was just typing away for no good reason, but no, horrible experiences abound all over the Oklahoma City metro.

A good friend of mine relayed a story yesterday about a really BIG issue she had at Baker Street, a watering hole on the city's north side. (I've been there before; it wasn't too bad, except for the middle-aged balding man who kept hitting on me. And the frequency of middle-aged balding men hitting on me has increased lately, which makes me wonder if I look old, desperate or just don't care. Note: I am married and faithfully wear my rings, which makes my wonder if bling means anything these days).

Anyway, she, her husband and some friends had met for a couple of drinks one night last week. Of course, those friends brought other friends, and so on. So eventually, the party got to be pretty big and full of people my friend didn't know.

Now, when my friend's husband got there, he had given the waitress his check card to start a tab for them. Not normally a big deal, right? I think we've all done this before. The problem was that by the time everyone got there, there was something like 15 to 20 people who were being served by a waitress without a clue because she never bothered to ask anyone who was ordering drinks if it was all on the same check.

Now, I can assure you that every time I'm out with a group for dinner, drinks, whatever, we're always asked if it's on one check or split. ALWAYS. This gal just didn't do it. So people start to leave. And more people start to leave. Finally, it's just my friend and her husband, stuck with a bar tab totaling more than $360.

Okay. My first thought was what kind of schlep would just leave a gathering without first asking for their check? Or knowing that they just didn't pay? Shame on them, and know that karma is psychic boomerang - it all comes back around.

My second thought was what kind of genius is the waitress who let all those people leave without paying?

The answer to the second question is that she's amazingly stupid. So stupid in fact that she actually had the audacity to tell my friend that it was her husband who had ordered, and drank, all that liquor. Now, we're not talking about a couple glasses of wine. We're talking about $360 worth of beer, straight shots, shots mixed with stuff, and Red Bull's mixed with stuff. Are you kidding me?

The worst part - my friend had to pay the tab. Even after talking to the manager, who offered her a Baker Street gift card, which she told him in no uncertain terms that he could keep his gift card because she would never go back there. Even after yelling at this incompetent pair so loudly that she could be heard clearly over the crowd and music.

She had to pay it because they had taken her bank card hostage. To top it off, this waitress ran the bank card after my friend had given her a different card to use. So two cards were run for a total of more than $700. The bank card charge eventually came off her account, but for 5 days she was without the $360 in her bank account.

So my friend has made it her mission to never again go to Baker Street, and to tell everyone she knows to never go there.

Now it's my mission too.