'They [were] using the cake and ice cream as a diversion': Waiter stops would-be dine and dashers in their tracks by putting all the attention on them

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Jun 16, 2023 3:00 PM EDT

Do people really enjoy being sung "Happy Birthday" by the staffers in restaurants? 

Maybe there are two types of people: the kind who really love birthday attention and want to celebrate with everyone around, and the kind who shy away from big displays of attention, like getting the waitstaff to sing for you at restaurants. We've all seen it play out. A family will come in to dine, and one person will find the waiter in private and tell them to surprise the birthday person with cake. That often involves the staff singing "Happy Birthday" or some shortened version that involves a lot of clapping and shouting. 

I've literally begged the folks in my life to never do that to me, since I'd find it embarrassing to have the entire restaurant stare me down. Plus, I don't want the staff to have to take time from their busy shift to sing the song — I'm sure they really do not want to, no matter how big they're grinning. I'd be fine with letting this tradition go, but some people enjoy the attention and want to celebrate as much as possible. 

Check out this story from u/Rosequartzsurfboardt below. Then, check out this week's worst choosing beggars. 

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    Cheezburger Image 9774768384
    via April Pethybridge on Unsplash
  • 02
    Product - r/r/TalesFrom YourServer. Posted by u/Rosequartzsurfboardt 8 hours ago Table tried to dine and dash but I came out and did their birthday shout out right in time 8
    via u/Rosequartzsurfboardt
  • 03
    Font - My manager was a server on the floor tonight and had a large group that swallowed two of our tables. They brought their OWN cake and OWN ice cream and we kept it cool for them in our fridge. They sent her to retrieve it and she does. I grabbed our saddle and dragged it over and they were suddenly ALL standing up some
    via u/Rosequartzsurfboardt
  • 04
    Font - people had left. It was definitely sus as s but whatevs. Doesn't matter. The show must go on, of course birthday person doesn't want to sit on the saddle so I do it and do the birthday song and dance. Call him out by name and just draw a large amount of attention to him. It was awkward of course.
    via u/Rosequartzsurfboardt
  • 05
    Font - THEY STILL TRY TO LEAVE. and my manager luckily notices and gives the mom her check and doesn't leave her side.
    via u/Rosequartzsurfboardt
  • 06
    Font - Not only were they using the cake and ice cream as a diversion to escape but the MOTHER was in on it. She tried to stall her payment hoping my manager would get busy and leave her with the bill as if we are not all aware of their intent by now. Safe to say we will probably not be seeing them again.
    via u/Rosequartzsurfboardt
  • 07
    Smile - Amapel 7 hr. ago Words cannot express how cathartically happy this makes me lol
    via u/Amapel
  • 08
    Font - Rosequartzsurfboardt OP - 7 hr. ago I was CACKLING when I found out. It made the oh fk no faces from the party all the more satisfying. They wouldn't even look at me as I did the birthday holler. They were whispering amongst themselves. Wish we would have made off with the cake tho.
    via u/Rosequartzsurfboardt
  • 09
    Font - FreebasingStardewV · 57 min. ago . You know what they say: You can have your cake and use it to stop theives, too.
    via u/FreebasingStardewV
  • 10
    Font - DesertRose7 4 hr. ago edited 4 hr. ago My restaurant requires a CC to start a tab. We can close out in cash if they want but I can't start an order without a card. It has made it so much easier; we also have a policy if anyone leaves without closing out it's an automatic 20%. This is a great story!
    via u/DesertRose7
  • 11
    Font - timdood3 7 hr. ago So they brought in their own cake and ice cream, just to try to leave while you get it for them? And leave the cake that they presumably did pay for behind? How dumb can a person be?
    via u/timdood3
  • 12
    Font - Rosequartzsurfboardt OP 7 hr. ago YES. that was EXACTLY what happened. First of all, if you're dine and dashing why even bring attention to yourself by stating that there was a birthday. My guess is they intended to pay at first but saw the check and didn't like that they ordered 200 dollars worth of food and tried to leave.
    via u/Rosequartzsurfboardt
  • 13
    Font - putin_my_as 3 hr. ago $200 for a group of people seems low. Cheapskates, just pay your bill or don't go out to eat because you can't afford it.
    via u/putin_my_a**8
  • 14
    Font - LitherLily 3 hr. ago Sorry but how does anyone get a group to do this?? I can't imagine anyone I go out to eat with who would be party to this, much less ALL of them??
    via u/LitherLily
  • 15
    Font - ancient_mariner63. 3 hr. ago The others in the group may not have even been aware of the scam. They may have been told or assumed that the check was being taken care of by the Mom and so they didn't feel any responsibility to pay.
    via u/ancient_mariner63
  • 16
    Font - Shadeauxmarie 7 hr. ago I saw six people dine and dash at a TGIChiliBees and I saw the older female server tell the FOH Manager who ran outside to get a license plate number. IMHO, this woman should have already retired, but things hadn't worked out. She broke down because she was losing what she thought was going to be a good tip. I called her over and gave her a Franklin and told her "This is not a tip, but a gift." She broke down again in a good way.
    via u/Shadeauxmarie
  • 17
    Font - Dine and dashers are horrible people. Probably cause restaurants to institute a $50, or some such, hold on a credit card before they start serving you.
    via u/Shadeauxmarie
  • 18
    Font - Rosequartzsurfboardt OP . 7 hr. ago That was absolutely kind of you. They are horrible and they are an added stress to the job. I fortunately work for a chain and while management gets that it happens and it's sometimes beyond your control. The fear of being reprimanded behind the scenes, hours being cut, section shrinking, being put in a bad section is a really real thing. I wish people understood that you
    via u/Rosequartzsurfboardt
  • 19
    Font - might not JUST be taking from that restaurant you could be harming the human being that just tried to be kind to you for an hour+ while you sat there thinking about how you were gonna fu them over.
    via u/Rosequartzsurfboardt
  • 20
    Font - thetorts 3 hr. ago Yo this happened to a server at a restaurant I worked at, we stored the cake in the fridge and when the server went to get it they dipped. Manager was an a and was mad at him. Not his fault he did his job and they were s ty people.
    via u/thetorts
  • 21
    Font - damspel 6 hr. ago I don't understand why you brought out a saddle? Like a horse saddle?
    via u/damspel
  • 22
    Font - Rosequartzsurfboardt OP - 6 hr. ago Yeah! I work at a texas themed restaurant
    via u/Rosequartzsurfboardt
  • 23
    Font - somedude456 - 6 hr. ago Fifteen+ Years I'll toss out the concept/idea/fact before others start saying it.... it's often highly against policy to allow any food that someone else brought in, be put in your coolers. Some places will say you can't even bring in outside food, but to put it in your coolers? I'll toss out a OH H NO!
    via u/somedude456
  • 24
    Font - I've had a birthday party get pied we couldn't keep their cake "in the back" so they just put it back in their car (no it wasn't mid summer), until it was time to celebrate. Then they got more ped when we wouldn't decorate it. It was a nice cake, but they handed over a packs of candles, 2 giant number candles, some sizzling/sparking things to be lit, a couple fax dolls/toys to put on it, etc. They wanted us to decorate the cake in the back and then bring it out. NO! That's not my job. I'm
    via u/somedude456
  • 25
    Font - Rosequartzsurfboardt OP 5 hr. ago . Yeah I was a bit shocked to find that we do it too. But its surprisingly not the first place I've worked or been to that has allowed it.
    via u/Rosequartzsurfboardt

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cake work stories singing song waiter dine and dash ice cream funny fails tales from your server dining money
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