The most unhinged Dine-and-Dash stories of the week: ‘One of the ladies grabbed a Tupperware out of her purse’

Author image for Melissa Knudson
Melissa Knudson • Writer
Oct 21, 2026 5:15 PM EDT

Are dine-and-dashers getting a little too creative?

Dine and dasher are clearly out of control. No doubt, the people in these stories are the creative kind. Sadly, they've chosen to use their brilliance for evil. From an exotic Madagascar roach on the loose, a cough pill, and a steel wool string, these dine-and-dashers deserve acting awards, along with the fine they should get for stealing. 

There is some level of dine-and-dash expertise that has to go into getting an exotic pet to complete this elaborate plan. That said, don't involve poor little insects who have nothing to do with your weird type of entertainment into your mischievous evening activities. The best advice here is simply not to dine and dash at all. Happily, movie-style, a hero comes to the rescue in this story. Apparently, that Madagascar hissing roach found a forever home with a friendly and knowledgeable man, who actually cares about the little ones. At least this dine-and-dash story ended in the creation of a wholesome, rather atypical, family.

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  • Upset waitress
    via Getty Images ( Via JackF )

    Upset waitress.

    Model representation.

  • What is the most RIDICULOUS Dine n Dash or Complaint for Comped Food your customer has tried to pull?

    When I was a server on the Vegas Strip, I had a 20 top walk-in for a birthday. Usually a party that size would have to make reservations and a card would be put on file.
    via AGirlNamedDean
  • However, since it was a high volume weekend we already had the events room open for overflow so we decided to seat them there among the 2 and 4 tops added to accommodate the influx of people coming in.
    via AGirlNamedDean
  • Everything went smoothly, until I went to put their dessert order in. The group started screaming, SPRINTED OUT, and one yelled "A f**king roach fell on my arm!" My manager
    via AGirlNamedDean
  • runs in hearing the commotion, the group is gone and immediately manager starts doing damage control. My fellow
    via AGirlNamedDean
  • servers were all reeling because chances were every table in that room was about to get comped. It's a desert, sometimes bugs happen especially in the hotter seasons, and that's procedure.
    via AGirlNamedDean
  • But here's where things get interesting: the lovely gentleman sitting next to the table that fled got on his hands and knees under the table and pulled out the BIGGEST roach I've ever seen. The gentleman
    via AGirlNamedDean
  • ever seen. The gentleman immediately started laughing and said "Either Vegas has become a magical tropical oasis, or someone left their pet roach behind".
    via AGirlNamedDean
  • Turns out, that gentleman was a former exterminator and an amateur entomologist. The roach in question was a MADAGASCAR HISSING ROACH. Exotic pet shops
    via AGirlNamedDean
  • sell them for $1-$10. Sure enough, when we checked the cameras, after I took the dessert order, they gathered their things. One
    via AGirlNamedDean
  • of the ladies grabbed a Tupperware out of her purse and released the roach on the table.
    via AGirlNamedDean
  • I have to say, that was very creative. But it has a happy ending. The gentleman, an absolute legend, ended up asking for a to go box to take the roach home AND
    via AGirlNamedDean
  • the remaining tables were so disgusted and appalled by the dashers behavior that a few of them left tips. for me even though I wasn't their server. Apparently, they felt bad. that I had to deal with that lol.
    via AGirlNamedDean
  • So again I asked you.. what is the most ridiculous thing a customer did to avoid paying for a meal?
    via AGirlNamedDean
  • Couple having dinner in restaurant
    via Getty Images Signature ( Via GoodLifeStudio )

    Couple having dinner in restaurant.

    Models for explanatory purposes only.  

  • On this second story, however, experience goes to a professional level with these apparent serial dine-and-dashers. The modern-day Bonnie and Clyde of the service industry. They’ve got a method. They’ve got a routine. They have a recurrent manager enemy. The perfect sequel to an already iconic film. 

    Another happy ending for a clueless server who couldn’t foresee the very unexpected tactics of these dine-and-dashers. In a way, it's kind of romantic. But in a much more realistic way, the real villains here got what they deserved, and a manager award should be given to this awesome person. Also, we are glad the server got a very good tip for a difficult day. 
     

  • Maria_von_Trapp I had this very nice couple. Dropped their dinners, checked back frequently, they always said everything was fine.
    via Maria_von_Trapp
  • Went to clear their plates after they'd finished and the lady points my attention to a pice of steel wool on her bread plate. "I pulled that out of my dinner."
    via Maria_von_Trapp
  • Now mind you, both their dinner plates are so bare it's almost like they licked them clean.
    via Maria_von_Trapp
  • I apologize profusely and say I will get the manager. Manager looks a little funny when I tell him about table 54.
    via Maria_von_Trapp
  • Apparently the exact same couple was in the night before (ski town) and he had a piece of steel wool in his food and their whole dinner had been comped.
    via Maria_von_Trapp
  • He was like, "I dealt with these people last night. Let me go talk to them.“ He comes back to the server station with their check and cash to barely cover their order. No tip.
    via Maria_von_Trapp
  • But then he ended up comping the whole meal and giving me the cash. Management at that place was legendary.
    via Maria_von_Trapp

  • In this third story, the villains also got what they deserved. Management, once more, proves to be much more professional at these sorts of things when a mother tries to trick this server by using a cough pill. Creative? Yes. Efficient? Very much no; it is very easy to see the lie here. Also, thankfully, the kids in this story don’t quite approve of this behavior. Another happy ending story for those of us constantly seeking some justice.

  • Classic breakfast diner
    via Pressmaster

    Classic breakfast diner.

    Stock photo unrelated.

  • grizzlyginger17 This happened at a fast paced diner I worked at. The whole diner is the size of a postage stamp and dish turn around was like a well greased engine.
    via grizzlyginger17
  • At the time we had 2 brothers that were our dishwashers, they were very on top of everything and responsible. One would take post in the wash room putting every dish through a 3 step sectioned commercial sink, rinse, wash and sanitize. Then everything
    via grizzlyginger17
  • went through a high pressure and high heat commercial dish washer. Then the racks were slid to the side too finish drying before being stacked together.
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  • The cups we used were clear plastic and stacked very tightly and would be extremely obvious if there was anything in the cups. On top of that multiple people would have handled the cup from being filled, refilled, bussed, unloaded individually into the
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  • sink and again into the dishwasher, restacked to be put onto the clearly visible shelf in the dining area, repeat. Sorry for the excessive explanation but it's just to give context.
    via grizzlyginger17
  • So it was a Saturday or Sunday late breakfast time going into lunch. Weekends we typically had a line wrapped around the building, so get in, eat and get out. Typical busy diner. Well a mother and 2 pre/early teens at my booth. One of the daughters ordered a large oj.
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  • They get their food, are just about finished eating, mind you I've checked on them multiple times and literally given the tiny space been within less than 20 feet at any given time. The mom calls me
    via grizzlyginger17
  • over and says they want everything comped because there was a cough drop in her daughter's cup. I look and there is a very fresh bright red cough drop stuck to the side around halfway in the cup and the oj is drank over an inch lower than the cough drop.
    via grizzlyginger17
  • I filled the cup and am 100000% positive there was no cough drop, and it would have been physically impossible for it to be where it was in the cup with how tightly they stack together.
    via AGirlNamedDean
  • And you would have been able to easily see a BRIGHT RED 1 INCH COUGH DROP through clear plastic. The 2 girls looked so uncomfortable like this was a stunt their mom pulled before. I don't even
    via grizzlyginger17
  • have to leave where I am standing next to their table to shout to the owner in the kitchen. She's 2nd generation in the diners ownership so not her first rodeo with people. trying to pull sh. I hold up the cup and tell her what they said and she goes OH BULLS TELL THEM TO PAY AND GET OUT.
    via grizzlyginger17
  • Careless waiter
    via Getty Images ( Via JackF )

    Careless waiter.

    Recreated scenario included to enhance reader understanding. 

  • I didn’t think I had to say this, but just in case someone out there is forgetting, dining and dashing is not ok. Servers work very hard to earn their tips, and restaurants are already constantly struggling as it is, for random impolite customers to steal from them. So, lesson number one: don’t do it. On that note, these stories prove that an ill-intentioned deed is bound to fail, as awesome daily superheroes with no capes keep making bad situations into good ones. Be they the guy who saves the roach, or the lady who used it as an accomplice. Creative people of the world, use your powers for good and remember that even Tony (from The Simpsons) pays his restaurant bills. Also, to the servers of the world, please keep documenting these wild stories; I’m sure this one could be a binge-watchable show any day.

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restaurant life creative people workplace-stories waiter dine and dash restaurant workplace workplace drama waitress service industry in the workplace
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