Businesses are facing a growing problem of customers leaving without paying their bill. Recently, Michael’s Bar and Grill in St. Louis, Mo., faced a problem of a different kind. They encountered a customer who didn’t skip out on his bill, but paid it with a fake $1,000 bill. The man ordered a hamburger and a couple of side dishes, with the bill coming to about $40. He asked the server at the end of his meal if she could make change for a $100 bill. While the server went to retrieve the change, the customer vanished, leaving behind a counterfeit $1,000 bill. Dawn Lamb, a bartender at Michael’s for 32 years, expressed the frustration felt by the staff. “We work for our tips, and this affects us. The profit margins are too small for this to keep happening,” she said. To deal with the increasing dine-and-dash incidents, Michael’s has now installed increased security, including cameras, license plate readers, and even facial recognition. In a direct effort to deter future thefts, the restaurant has also begun posting photos of dine-and-dashers on its Facebook page. Apparently, it’s working. According to Kristina Moriarty of Michael’s, the customer who attempted to pay with the fake $1,000 bill saw his photo and returned to the restaurant to apologize and settle his bill. He even left a tip for the server.
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| The man returned to pay his bill |
