Local Applebee's gets ripped off by dinner crowd

[Flatulo]

Last week I took my family to our local Applebee's. The restaraunt was about half full, and the service and food were very good. People were in various stages of their meals, and we were perusing the dessert menu, when the fire alarm went off and the building had to be evacuated.

About 50-60 people filed out of the building, and most immediately began leaving the premises. The manager, who was holding the door open for the patrons, casually mentioned to me that most of these people, many of whom had obviously enjoyed their meals, would not be returing to pay their bills. As maybe five minutes passed, the crowd continued to dwindle. One resourceful couple even brought their plates and forks out with them, finished their meals and left the plates on a bench before they fled.

The local fire chief came and cleared the alarm. By that time, there was just my family and one other that had stayed and returned to settle up. The rest of the customers just walked away, many or most with full bellys.

When did people become so dishonest? I would never walk out on the tab for a meal, and I was shocked to see so many families 'teaching' their kids that it was OK to do such a thing.

I don't care that Applebees' may be a rich, giant mega-conglomerate - this is stealing as sure as using a gun.

Edit - grammar

[Zhade]

1. Maybe they're desparate - I mean, they WERE at Applebee's.

The gun thing is way off, though. A fire alarm is the same as the threat of deadly force? Really?

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. Hey we eat at Applebee's

It's our hometown restaurant. And the food is good.

[Zhade]

9. Don't get me wrong - I've eaten there many times.

Fine cuisine it is not.

[nosmokes]

34. But that's just it Proud 2bLib,

It's a giant chain and *NOT* your hometown restaurant. The likelihood of ever getting anything sourced locally out of an Appleby's or TGIFs or anyone of those faux neighborhood establishments is about the same as politicians being honest. At least by supporting real hometown places you can start to break the chains. That's how we're doing it here in Oregon and now there's even a local 'chain' of burger joints in the Portland area that uses local grass fed beef and organic veggies.

[proud2BlibKansan]

57. Applebee's is headquartered here

They do try to buy local food and they employ a lot of local people.

So we support them.

[zalinda]

58. While it may be a "chain" more than likely

some local people "own" it. Giant chains usually just sell the franchise, they don't run the places.

zalinda

[question everything]

102. I often get the Car to Go

(or whatever it is called)

Santa Fe Chicken salad. Excellent.

[sarcasmo]

62. I prefer to call it Crapplebee's.

[book_worm]

168. as usual, somebody on DU will make an excuse for criminal action.

[ret5hd]

2. This may be stealing, but...

describing applebee's food as "very good"...well, i don't know what crime it is, but it oughta get you in prison for a few years!

:rofl:

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. I like their food

It's not my favorite restaurant but I do think they have decent food.

[pitohui]

11. you can't really believe this EOM

,

[Flatulo]

15. Not everyone has the same tastes - my family likes the place.

The quality of their cuisine is completely irrelevant.

[Darth_Kitten]

206. You are right........

people should have paid. :(

[proud2BlibKansan]

18. Actually, yes I can

[Common Sense Party]

27. Applebee's has some fantastic items. And, yeah, I'll say it:

So does Olive Garden.

All the cuisine snobs can stick it in their ears.

I travel a LOT, and Applebee's is consistent, tasty and satisfying.

[shimbo]

37. Expense Account

I travel a LOT, and Applebee's is consistent, tasty and satisfying

Oh, dude.

Find a new employer and a better expense account!

[Common Sense Party]

144. Oh, food snob. Find a life. nt

[Dorian Gray]

179. I'm a food snob...

but I'm in NYC. I don't need expensive food to enjoy good food. We have so many unique ethnic restuarants here. I don't particularly like Applebees, or any chain restaurant myself. However, I don't know why people feel the need to disparage those who do like it.

To each their own. Our tastes are informed by those around us.

[Common Sense Party]

184. And that's great when you live and remain in a place that has

such good options and variety. You know which restaurants are the best for which cuisine, and which ones to avoid.

But when one travels to a different town or city every day, you go to the chain restaurants because you want to know what you're getting. And what you're getting is pretty good food at a reasonable price.

[Skittles]

53. I agree with you

food snobs remind me of wine snobs

[skygazer]

195. Nice post, Hitler

:P

[proud2BlibKansan]

56. Food snobs

Gotta love it.

[Joe Fields]

107. Thank you. I've probably eaten at more restaurants than most people here,

and you are right. Applebees has a good menu, and consistently well prepared food. I always like eating at Applebees.

[ceile]

114. I agree.

I eat what I like and Olive Garden and Applebee's and Chili's are places I frequent.

[clovis29]

175. Wow -- every now and then maybe, but "frequent"? ;) n/t

[ceile]

192. The fiance LUVS Chili's

So were there about once every 10 days. I'd say that's pretty frequent. ;-)

[Yupster]

233. I like Applebees and Olive Garden but not

Chilis, but who cares what restaurants I like.

It's irrelevant to theft.

[madmom]

160. Hey CSP, why is it when some one doesn't agree with your taste or opinion your'e is obviously wrong,

I think Applebee's isn't the worst or Olive Garden for that matter, and I'm Italian fer gawd's sake!!!!:banghead:

[Common Sense Party]

171. Some people are so insecure that they look for even the most

trivial things to look down on others for.

Food is very subjective. But just because someone doesn't like what I like I don't belittle them for it. That's juvenile.

[BushOut06]

189. Olive Garden can kiss my fucking ass

As long as Darden is a major GOP donor, they'll not be getting my business.

[donheld]

236. I've always found Applebee's quite good too

Yes I can believe that.

[rockymountaindem]

12. Why the snobbery?

Everybody's got their own taste and experiences. I've loved some stuff a bunch of people probably wouldn't touch and I hate a fair amount of things everybody else seems to love. Why look down on people for food choices?

[Missy Vixen]

29. It's all about bullying, frankly

It's so easy to sit back behind a keyboard and tell everyone how impeccable one's taste is, and how terrible someone else's is.

We've been lucky enough to be treated to some very fine restaurants over the years. Sometimes the food's not all that. We enjoy our visits to Bellevue, WA's Burgermaster much more than that $75 a plate surf and turf, that's for sure.

Julie

[tblue37]

120. Very well put! Bullying is exactly what it is about. n/t

[maxsolomon]

213. Burgermaster is local to Puget Sound.

Applebees is corporate. This is an important distinction.

I was raised eating Irish Spaghetti (you chop it into bite site chunks right away so you can shovel it in & get seconds before your brothers do), & I enjoy slumming at dives as much as anyone, but i don't like corporate food, and it doesn't mean i'm a snob. When I'm in areas of the country without good food choices (say, Madison, Indiana), I feel really sorry for the limited choices people have to live with.

I understand how people with limited options & experience could say Applebees, etc., is good food, but "De gustibus non disputadem" is a cop out. Getting defensive about it doesn't change this fact:

Crap is crap.

And crap wine is crap, too.

And Budweiser is NOT GOOD BEER.

[lumberjack_jeff]

216. The UW Burgermaster is one of our favorites

Food snobs? Meh.

[JVS]

134. Makes them feel like more sophisticated consumers, like going to trader joe's or whole foods

Our society defines people by what they buy and where they shop is a big part of that

[maxsolomon]

214. Oh please.

Trader Joes is cheap & wholesome.

And they give out free coffee.

I won't argue you on Whole Paycheck - but i don't walk around in there thinking "i'm so sophisticated" - i'm thinking "how do i get out of here without buying anyting but organic meat?"

[cherokeeprogressive]

169. My father says if he doesn't like a movie, and I do...

I'm a fool who wouldn't know Orson Welles from Ed Wood.

If he doesn't like a book, and I DO, I'm an ass who wouldn't know Shakespeare from Stephen King.

Now here's you, saying that if a person likes Applebee's food, they should be jailed.

Congratulations. You've just become one of the few people whose opinion I value less than his.

[SoCalDem]

249. We have had better tasting food at Applebees than we did last week at "the Cliff House"

in San Francisco.. salad $12 for a bowl of weeds
chewy steak medallions & some unidentifiable vegetable $48.00



the cheapest thing on the menu was $38.00.. we were guests, so we oohed and aahed appropriately, but once back at the hotel we said "what a waste of about $500" that our hosts spent.. the view was spectacular, but we could have brought a bag of burgers , sat on the patio & been more satisfied with our evening :)

[question everything]

3. When we, as a society abandoned any sense of shame

when we think that everyone "owes" us.

I am sorry to say that it was my generation, the baby boomers, who started in the sixties to treat property as something to despise and to vandalize. I remember a story about people leaving in communes in St. Francisco, I think, stealing fruits and vegetables from open markets. Former students who had no intention to pay their student loans.

Even here, on DU, you will meet the sense of contempt to capitalism, to private property to, yes, rich people, even if they make a living by honest means.

[pnorman]

49. As a pre-Sixties "anti-capitalist" --- ie: "left-libertarian Chomskyite",

I will NEVER "stiff" anybody, or be an abettor of such actions. And I seriously doubt the "ideologies" of those who used it to justify their actions. Moreover, I suspect that more than a few of them have "matured" into "ME! ME! ME!" neo-cons.

pnorman

[Le Taz Hot]

60. So, the boomers invented stealing?

Oh shit. Now that's a new one. Hon, you may be a boomer chronologically, but you apparently missed the whole concept. Living communally = stealing. Alllrighty then! :eyes:

[default_to_freedom]

63. Your post is dead on the money. The boomers do think they are owed everything.

And as more of them begin to retire, they will clamor for more "young to old" transfer payments. They are going to make life miserable for younger Americans.

[Le Taz Hot]

72. Spoken by the

what-have-you-done-for-me-lately generation. Uh huh. :eyes:

[default_to_freedom]

88. Spoken by someone who is sick and tired of hearing from the "me first—me now" generation.

[Joe Fields]

110. Care to explain yourself, or are you just in the mood to hurl outlandish

insults?

[Selatius]

218. There will always be intergenerational bickering; that's old news.

The only thing relevant are the facts. After this war is over and Bush is gone, the 9 trillion in debt will be borne by the current generation now fighting in Iraq and future generations who will have to pay for medical care for wounded and traumatized vets, a neglected education system, a broken health insurance system, and a national infrastructure where bridges are rotting and cities are left destroyed after events like Katrina. There will inevitably be finger pointing by some among the younger generation at the older generation who they believe run the country.

[NorthernSpy]

73. that's probably why they put Reagan in office...

From irresponsible hippies to selfish yuppies insisting that "greed is good" -- and voting for the guy who promised to let them keep the money they would previously have had to invest in the society as taxes.


Of course, the right's generational resentment screeds always neglect to mention that rightward turn the sixties generation took in the seventies and eighties. That's because a lot of our country's current economic problems stem from the "Reagan Revolution". And that's embarrassing to them.

[default_to_freedom]

87. You are no doubt right about that. They gave us for Reagan,

who told them that they could have their cake and eat it too. Prior to that, they wasted tens of thousands of lives and billions of $ in Viet Nam. And they spent their Social Security and Medicare funds on "me first—me now" policies.

They are also responsible for many of our present day debacles, including Iraq. They are without question America's worst generation. And like I said before, they are going to make life miserable for younger Americans.

[acmavm]

122. You little snip. I did not give you Reagan. I did fucking not give

you any of the problems that you face today. Idiots who came after me who's only talent is to blame somebody else all the while with their hands out and whining constantly 'gimme gimme gimme' did that. I have had to work my entire life. I have voted in every election. And all I want back is what I've put into this hell hole system. But if you are any example of what to come, we are ALL SCREWED.

[Zookeeper]

161. Baby Boomers gave us Vietnam? Hello!

In 1962, the oldest Boomers were 17 years old.

At least get your facts straight if you're going to blame everything on another group of people.

[Touchdown]

172. In 1980, the oldest Gen Xers (me) were 14.

I won't blame you for Viet-Nam. In fact the Boomers were most responsible for pulling out of that quagmire.

BUT! It was you guys who gave us Reagan, and let him tell us that we're never going to see Social Security for ourselves (the Xers).

I do apologize for Molly Ringwald and Demi Moore though.;)

[Zookeeper]

174. Every generation has its Ringwalds and Moores...

:hi:

[bettyellen]

208. apologize fpr George Bush or you're completely full of shit!

yeah, i thought so.

[Touchdown]

239. What? You like Molly Ringwald?

I guess you learn something new every day.;)

BTW: Bushit* is a Boomer. His daughters are Y'ers. Aside from Cory Hart/Haim/Feldman and Andrew McCarthy, X'ers' hands are clean.:evilgrin:

BTW-2: If you think I'm serious, then I'm not the one with issues.

[bettyellen]

240. you, no... but a lot of Xers feel they are blameless. and if they want to blame regan on boomers

then they get dubya. that's how the math works.

[Touchdown]

245. No, your logic is too simple.

Xers are a serious fraction of the population of Boomers (about 1/3 of Boomers), and the last I checked, the vast majority of Boomers are still alive and voting. Besides... Chimpy lost both elections. Blame the SCOTUS and Swift Boaters...who are mostly boomers.:evilgrin:

[bettyellen]

248. true-- but it's also true- you will see Xers post mega blame without taking any credit themselves

for anything, any thing at all?
it's kinda a big glaring zero on their resume, because everything is bad- and it's all boomers.
and they wonder why no one takes their shit seriously. if we can take it all on face value- Xers are useless and ineffectual at best.

[Joe Fields]

113. Alright. If you want to play that silly game, because frankly, yours is

a most simplistic and erroneous theory, then I suppose your generation will have to be held responsible for voting Bush into office.

[NorthernSpy]

123. my reference to the right's "generational resentment screeds" should have clued you in...

... that I'm not really on board with scapegoating any particular generation for The Way Things Turned Out.

[Joe Fields]

128. it is precisely that assessment that I would take exception to.

[question everything]

131. We did not

The conservatives, who still blame the 60s on everything, put Reagan in office. After all, he started with squashing free speech in Berkeley while a governor of California.

Not all the boomers are "me me." We are, after all, talking about 78 million people that span the whole political and economic spectrums. We did break down the establishment, dismissed the idea that someone should be followed and respected just because he is in a position of authority. But some of us took it too far to attempt to literally break down society without offering something in its place.

And, the reality is that most Americans do like the capitalistic system. This is why we will never have a revolution in this country. People do not hate the rich; they want to be the rich.

[NorthernSpy]

133. hey -- you're the one who started out blaming the boomers and the sixties...

Guess I was just mindlessly following your lead.

[raccoon]

80. Oh, you're going to dis all the boomers? Seems to me that many of Gen X and younger that I know,

are the ones who have an enormous sense of entitlement. Lots of them have more "stuff" than most boomers did as kids, and are WAY overindulged. Their parents seem to think the sun shines out of their arses, and that they can do no wrong.

NOTE: Notice I said SOME not ALL, are like this.

[default_to_freedom]

90. Gen X and Gen Y'ers are the generations that will turn this country around.

The boomers need to realize that it's NOT all about them.

[raccoon]

92. I hope they do turn this country around.

And not all boomers think it's all about them. I'm sick and tired of people tarring a whole generation with the same brush.

Edited to add 2nd paragraph.

[LanternWaste]

100. Only after they finally step back...

"Gen X and Gen Y'ers are the generations that will turn this country around."

Only after they finally step back from their I-pods and their console games. (See how those sweeping generalizations tend to come back in unexpected way...?)



"The boomers need to realize that it's NOT all about them."

And the X'ers and Y'ers need to realize that it's NOT any one generations fault-- but that realization will only happen with time and when that day does comes, the next generation will be blaming you.

Everyone and every generation is equally culpable and equally guilty.

[Zookeeper]

164. The older Gen X-ers I know are all Rethuglicans.

And, yeah, they sure have turned this country around.

[Touchdown]

173. You can stop saying that now.

You just met one (42 years old) who isn't.:hi:

[Zookeeper]

177. And I hated Reagan....

So, at least two of us have our heads screwed on straight. :)

[Maine-ah]

244. I'd like to point out that the boomers had way more stuff

than the previous generation. Not a great argument. And really, who's to blame for the way we (some) were raised other than the (some) boomers who raised us.

btw, I'm a hard working gen x'er. It's how I was raised.

[ProfessorGAC]

84. Learn A New Tune

That one is getting tedious.
The Professor

[default_to_freedom]

91. Spoken like a true boomer.

I forgot, they are never wrong about anything.

[ProfessorGAC]

98. Look Who's Talking!

And, by the way: Repeating it makes it more, not less, tedious.

My being right has nothing to do with my age. It has to do with being a clearly and obviously deeper thinker than you. So, by definition i'm right a LOT more often than you. That's got nothing to do with being a boomer. It's just that you're not as clever as you think you are. I, however, am.
The Professor

[JHB]

145. One of the things necessary for turning this country around...

...is recognizing how assinine these broadbrush "generational" categories are. They are vapid clusters of impressions by lazy media people and marketeers, always superficial and incomplete, at best only partially describing a limited subset of who they claim to define.

Start the turn-around and abandon this nonsense.

[Joe Fields]

109. That is your opinion, certainly not based on fact, and one that I

do not subscribe to.

[Hekate]

186. LOL Tombstoned already! What a crappy subthread of boomer-bashing. nt

[lpbk2713]

187. I could smell the pizza cooking right from that first flaming thread.

Damn shame we were all out of step with his parade.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[earth mom]

203. Your generation has had everything handed to them by mommy and daddy.

Now that you're all grown up you expect the same from the world.

Not gonna happen.

[NorthernSpy]

69. no, it's when the Reaganite middle class abandoned any sense of solidarity with "menial" labor...

For waitstaff, most of their income comes from tips, and someone who leaves without paying is stiffing the workers. Committed lefties may hate corporations, but we'd never deny a worker his pay.


Speaking of which, funny how you didn't mention the workers who got cheated when people walked off without paying. Nope: your sympathy immediately flew to "property", "private property", "corporations", and "rich people". Why is that?

[mrreowwr_kittty]

193. I noticed that too.

I would stay and pay because my concern would be for the workers, not the shareholders of the corporation.

[LanternWaste]

93. Contempt of capitalism...

Contempt of capitalism and the concept of private property does not necessarily equate to a lax moral code.

Nor does assigning a rather sweeping and generalized blame to a generation address either the underlying cause or the symptom.

No-- greed and avarice has been around as long as mankind. No one generation, culture, religion, or culture has a monopoly on either its invention or its use.

[tblue37]

127. Our local paper had an article today about an elderly couple who

had two 6-foot Nutcracker statues on their lawn as Christmas decorations. A bunch of teens stole the statues overnight and dragged one to splinters. The other they took to a field and burned.

All for a lark.

When my son was very young, his heart was broken when his jack-o'lantern was smashed one night. In tears, he said, "Mommy, why would people be so mean?"

Later, as a teen himself, he laughed when he told me about a friend of his who went around with a baseball bat and smashed pumpkins all over town. And remember the popular band whose name was "Smashing Pumpkins"?

Our kids are growing up in a society where such mindless vandalism is considered clever "fun." Even my son, whose own heart had been broken as a child when it was done to him, thought it was funny when his friend bragged about destroying other family's Halloween pumpkins.

[Omphaloskepsis]

140. My dad.. (who was a boomer)

Would tell us stories about the pranks they would do when he was a teenager. The shit he did was way worse then anything I have done.

[Hekate]

194. Retrospect is amazing. My uncles (born in the teens of the 20th century) used to tip outhouses over

Or so I heard. And they did a few other rural, small-town activities that irked the sheriff but didn't get a boy a zero-tolerance jail term in those days.

My black-sheep brother (born 1948) jumped out of a few windows when he was in his late teens and early twenties -- once with a girl's father after him with an ax. See how funny it sounds at a distance of 40 or 45 years? I guess. Maybe. He did decide to not drive high on LSD anymore after a flower-filled highway to the sky opened up to him while he was on a real freeway.

The rest of us sibs refrained from being that wild. And I'm one of the MANY people of my generation whose experience of the 1960's was tame and ordinary to a fault.

My son and daughter (born 1975 and 1978) did things in their adolescence that kept me awake at night. I will not go into the details, but it's not about you being born too late to act stupid. You (like me) apparently weren't inclined to be that stupid.

Hekate

[lpbk2713]

4. I wonder if their insurance would cover their loss?

As long as they had a legitimate report that the FD responded to (whether there was a fire or not) and they also had the unpaid checks.

:shrug:

[Hekate]

190. I doubt it. Running a restaurant is tough, & the wait-staff all got stiffed too. nt

[davidinalameda]

5. I'm not sure if I'd go back to the restaurant after a fire alarm

I'm not sure if I'd stick around because you never know if its a real fire or not

I would probably come back and pay the bill later

[NorthernSpy]

147. Why not? It's proof that their smoke detectors are working...

You'd think that would be reassuring. I appreciate attention given to safety.

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. So did someone pull the fire alarm?

[pitohui]

10. i dunno but i will say this

if my meal were interrupted by a fire or a fire alarm then it isn't the experience that i paid for and to be honest the meal should be comped/discounted if they would ever want me back

being jolted out of one's bed in a hotel by a screaming fire alarm is nasty enough but to have a meal interrupted is something i've never experienced and hope i never will, ugh

i don't believe "obviously enjoyed" the meal is a correct description of an occasion which ends in you evacuating the building in fear for your life, with a screaming siren in your ear, something which stresses me out for at least an hour

it strikes me from your story that the manager has experienced this before and knows what will happen, my suggestion, find out what you're doing wrong to keep setting off the fire alarm and stop shrilling in people's ears while they're trying to eat and maybe you'll be a more successful manager? just a thought, not that i'd say it to his face

some people are really, really stressed by screaming alarms and the possibility of fire and frankly i happen to be one of them

i bet some people will come back the next day and pay, that's probably what i would have to do, i would not stick around and rubberneck a possible fire once the meal was already ruined, what's the point?

eating at a sit down restuarant is not about "a full belly," it's about an experience, you can get a "full belly" at a drive in fast food place with food the same quality of applebee's (which is not very high imho, sorry, but i'm from new orleans and we have real food here so there's no excuse for it anyway), a fire alarm sorry that just totally wrecks it

[Flatulo]

Applebee's is your basic pub food - what we call

the 'brass and fern' joints around here. They are in the same league as Pub 99, TGIFs, Red Robin, and many others.

The food is your basic starchy fat-laden American fare.

But all that is completely beside the point. If you enter a restaurant with the intention of ordering and eating the food, you have made the decision beforehand to exchange money for whatever they serve you, whether it be pig slop or fine French cuisine. I doubt that anyone goes there expecting a five star experience. It's working class fare. If the food was unsatisfactory, that would be another matter. But there was no human wave exiting the premises before the alarm went off.

I think we can safely assume that a mass act of dishonesty took place, not a protest against pedestrian food.

I also doubt that the diners were shell shocked or some such and were too distraught and emotionally ruined to return. It was a frickin' little beep-beep-beep, fer chrissakes.

[pitohui]

17. have you ever heard a fire alarm go off and had to evacuate?

sorry it ain't just a beep beep beep, it is a dangerous level of noise meant to get your attention, and it's a level of noise proven to cause a rise in blood pressure, among other things

the meal is ruined and it's double ruined if i didn't even get to eat it and now it's sitting around getting cold while they put out the fire

i go to a restaurant expecting service, probably too much to expect of applebee's in the first place, i suppose

if they didn't have smoky fires, they wouldn't the alarm going off, ya know? other restaurants, restaurants i've patronized with open flames, manage to grill things and not set off the alarm

the restaurant needs to be a little more professional, sorry, they are supposed to be a large corp. not granny's diner

[proud2BlibKansan]

55. Oh good grief - we have fire alarms all the time at school

and the kids handle them better than you do.

The OP says nothing about why the fire alarm went off. Why are you ready to blame the restaurant for this?

[Marrah_G]

94. Did it say the restraunt caused the fire or could a customer have triggered an alarm?

[Yupster]

234. Things happen

SOmeone may have pulled the alarm for a lark, or a distraction. Or it may have been a mistake. A cook may have overcooked a chicken.

Things happen.

They shouldn't be excuses to steal.

[Flatulo]

13. Self-delete

[NorthernSpy]

79. Are ya KIDDING me? I'm thrilled that they have a fire alarm that works!

Holy shit, aren't you the one who always tries to justify that business in Gretna? You know, when the Gretna police (illegally) blockaded a highway to prevent desperate Katrina victims from trying to rescue themselves?

Old people, families with little kids -- a whole crowd got together, and carrying their belongings, they tried to leave the city on foot. And the police fired shots over the peoples' heads to drive them back into New Orleans.


You said that was justified because those people -- who were trying to save their selves from a disaster -- might have posed a threat to your PROPERTY.



And NOW you're telling us that a stupid fire alarm is a legitimate reason to dine-n-dash -- stiffing the restaurant and the people who work there?


:wow:

[ProfessorGAC]

85. I Buy That Completely

I sure didn't pay to have my food get cold while i stood outside. A half-price deal would the very least i'd expect. And i would guess if you asked the manager, you'd get it. But, i still don't think i'd just walk away. I would simply tell management i expected some price consideration.

The Professor

[WillowTree]

150. If you were looking for a "dining experience" at Applebee's

you were in the wrong place to begin with and that's not their fault. Applebee's is your basic "go out for a reasonably priced meal sandwich and salad" spot, not haute cuisine. I don't mind Applebee's at all. Their food is good and not overpriced for what it is, the stores are clean in my experience, and they provide jobs to people who need them. But I go there expecting a meal. If I want an "experience", I'll get tickets for Cirque du Soleil.

By your rationale, I shouldn't have to pay my monthly condo assessment because a couple of times a year our fire alarm goes off for no apparent reason and, gee, that's just not the kind of "residential experience" I'm looking for.

[cherokeeprogressive]

182. What about the folks who took their plates outside and finished their meals before leaving? n/t

[lumberjack_jeff]

217. Heck Yeah.

All those people standing in the parking lot eating their meals should not only pay, but pay a premium for the starlight ambiance. Pay up and be thankful it wasn't raining.

... and leave a big tip too. After all, they're "obviously enjoying their meals".

I'm having a hard time dredging up a lot of outrage.

Of course, if there had been a crying child in the restaurant, it's a different story. Not only should the patrons not have to pay for the substandard life experience, they should be able to take turns berating the child.

:sarcasm:

[John Q. Citizen]

14. I was with your self congratulatory rant up until you said;

"I don't care that Applebees' may be a rich, giant mega-conglomerate - this is stealing as sure as using a gun."

It's not stealing like using a gun. It was an opportunistic event for those who left without paying. It wasn't robbery. It was non-payment for services.

Of the 50-60, logic would tell us that some had ordered and not been served yet, some may have been in the beginning or middle of their meal, (when forced to exit for an undetermined amount of time) some undoubtedly had finished their meals and were just about to pay when the event occurred.

So sure, somebody may have split without paying, but you aren't going to try to broad brush nearly the entire restaurant full of people (save yourself and the other table you saw paying) without knowing what their individual circumstances were?

Heck, somebody may have been just about to pay when the alarm went off and they had a flight to catch. Maybe they stood around for 10 minutes and couldn't wait any longer.

The owner should have sent the wait staff to get a phone number from their tables that has finished up their meals. On the other hand, people who had only gotten partially through their meal would be expected to stand around for an indeterminate time so they could return to their cold and untimely meal, finish up, and pay the restaurateur for their fabulous experience in his restaurant?

I'm not so sure that makes sense either. It seems on some level or other that the owner and staff are responsible for the food and the experience at their place, and while a random fire alarm is unfortunate for all, it does seem more the responsibility of the establishment than of the patrons.

So while I believe you and the other paying table acted ethically, in that you felt you got your money's worth and so you stayed around until you were able to pay, I can't muster the indignation at the rest of the patrons that you seem to be able to. I don't see this as an example of rampant dishonesty or criminality in our population.

What I want to know was how or why the fire alarm went off in the first place?



(edit for spelling)

[pitohui]

16. thannks john

yours is the best post on the subject

[Flatulo]

19. You misinterperate me

> It's not stealing like using a gun. It was an opportunistic event for those who left without paying. It
> wasn't robbery. It was non-payment for services.

This is what I said:

"this is stealing as sure as using a gun."

The operative words are 'as sure as'. This statement does not set moral equivalence. It merely states that both acts are stealing.

It is NOT OK to walk out on a meal without paying because an opportunity presents itself.

BTW, the alarm was a malfunction. By law, they must evacuate the premises. The entire incident took about five minutes to transpire.

[John Q. Citizen]

40. You could have also said that

"this is stealing as sure as kidnapping the Lindberg Baby was" and it would have been even more hyperbolic than it already was.

No where in my post did I ever suggest that eating and running is OK.


My main point was that you acted ethically;

And you have little way of actually determining who or how many acted unethically. You know the other table you saw paying acted ethically.

For all I know, the couple you describe in the OP talking their dishes outside to finish may have left a $50 bill on the table. It seems a little premature to accuse them of a crime.

We have zero way to determine who or how many acted illegally, since that would require the findings of a judge or jury, and it sounds as if there were no arrests and aren't likely to be any prosecutions. And of course we don't know how many, if any, prosecutions would be warranted.

So while I feel for the restaurateur for the whole event, I just can't muster a bunch of outrage at a bunch of people I don't know. It sounds likely that some may have or could have exploited the confusion to rip off the restaurant. Yet who or how many I can't begin to fathom. And as such, I can't possibly extrapolate from this event to suggest that dishonesty is rampant or that crime is rampant among a large number of random Apple-bees' customers.

That would suggest that these customers fit the same crime profile as the war profiteers, the debt derivative salespeople, the credit card company boards of directors, the profit driven health care industry executives, and a number of others from the corporate/political power centers.

And I've found most people are more honest than that. Not everybody but most.

Anyway, you shouldn't be proud of yourself for doing the right thing. Doing the right thing needs to be looked at as baseline behavior, not exemplary behavior. You had a meal and you paid your bill. What else is new? And you suspect that an undetermined amount of others had a meal and didn't pay their bill.

What we need is a waitperson who was on shift from that Apple-bees to weigh-in. I wonder if they are more statistically honest than their customers are? That would make an interesting social science project. Correlate the honesty of different service industry personnel with the honesty of their clientele based on economic levels of the clientele.

So I have more questions. From your description in the OP, it sounds as if the whole restaurant emptied out, and in a fairly short time only you and the other table were still there. What happened to the people who were starving, had ordered food but hadn't gotten it yet? Why didn't they come back in and eat? Or did they? How many were there?

What time did this occur?

[truth2power]

82. I'm with you on this one, Flatulo...

I looked back at your OP for a time frame, but I see you included that, above. 5 minutes? People can't wait 5 minutes? Please!

I look at it this way...I wouldn't normally walk out of a restaurant without paying my bill. So, I would feel obligated to make a reasonable effort to pay my bill if there were some unforseen event.

And I say this, given that I loathe the whole (mega) corporate mindset. Sheesh! :eyes:

[Midlodemocrat]

116. I agree with you. The only reason I could think of for

leaving would be if we hadn't been served, even a drink, or hadn't yet ordered. But I think I would have sought out the waitstaff and told him/her so.

Otherwise, it's stealing. Pure and simple. And, what a lesson to teach one's kids!!! Oh, boy.

[Lorien]

166. I'm pretty shocked that anyone wouldn't see it as stealing

if a few people left who hadn't been served yet, that's one thing-but for a couple to finish their meal in a parking lot THEN leave without paying??? That's clearly theft. Also, the hard working minimum wage wait staff also got stiffed. Where's the "Progressive" view on worker protections here? I would have been just as disgusted with the whole thing as you were, Flatulo. I really hope that some of those people thought twice and returned to pay later.

[YankmeCrankme]

23. My goodness, you don't pay a bill and that's not dishonest?

If you felt you should be comped for the "bad" experience of a fire alarm discuss it with the manager. You don't just leave without paying your bill.

What...if you go to a store that is supposed to open at 1000, but is late 10 minutes so you have to wait you get to steal something from them because of your inconvenience? What kind of thinking and ethics is that?

[ellisonz]

43. "The customer is always right"

[YankmeCrankme]

105. Even if you follow that belief you still need to talk to the manager not just leave. nt

[Maine-ah]

152. except for when they're wrong.

[dysfunctional press]

103. not if you haven't finished your meal.

imho- the ONLY people who would be obligated to pay, would be those people who had actually finished their meals- and maybe the people who took their plates out with them. but in most reputable places, the manager would have just comped everyone due to the inconveinence anyway.

[YankmeCrankme]

108. Lots of people don't finish meals, doesn't mean they can leave without paying

If you are dissatisfied with your meal or service you can't just leave without taking account of your bill. You need to talk to the manager and express your dissatisfaction and work it out with them.

[gollygee]

111. If you choose not to finish, you pay

but if the restaurant's faulty fire alarm system is to fault, then no you do not have to pay. And you do not have to sit around for an hour waiting for the manager to be finished with the fire dept.

[YankmeCrankme]

115. What about if you are not satisfied with the meal or service?

Isn't that the rationale with the fire alarm, it was an inconvenience and disrupted your meal? Do you still get to just leave without notice and not pay?

[gollygee]

119. You don't have to hang around waiting for an hour or so for the manager

if he or she were available, I'd talk to him/her, but I can't wait with a hungry little kid in a parking lot for an hour or two. Applebees needs to take better care of their equipment if they don't want that problem. I can't imagine the management of Applebees even expects everyone to hang around for an hour or so while the management is busy with the fire dept.

I usually pay as normal and simply don't go back if I don't like the food or service, so that's never been an issue for me.

[YankmeCrankme]

252. OP stated 5 minutes passed. nt

[dysfunctional press]

124. being dissatisfied and having a fire alarm interrupt your meal are two different things entirely.

so yes- you get to leave without notice or paying- unless you've already been presented with the bill.

[dysfunctional press]

121. but this is not a case of being dissatisfied with the meal or the service.

the patrons were forced to leave their meals and the premises- they were under no obligation to wait for an indeterminate amount of time to return to cold half-eaten dinners. and no reputable restaurant would expect them to.

however- if i had seen my waitperson in the melee, being a former waiter, i would have given them some money to compensate for the tip.

[gollygee]

125. Yes, I would definitely do that

I would seek my waitperson out. They'd have to be outside too so it wouldn't be hard to find them.

[sandnsea]

31. It has to do with attitude and motive

What this really shows is the mindset of the poster. I agree with you, I would never even think that anybody would say to themselves "whoopee, fire alarm, I don't have to pay". My first reaction to the story was the same as yours, people who hadn't even gotten their food, or only had a few bites, others who were frightened, and just left. The ones who return to pay, the few in the mind of the manager, are the only ones who finished their meal. This has nothing to do with theft. All it shows to me is that some people think the worst of others and that's the real tragedy in our society. People used to think the best of each other and that's why they weren't susceptible to fear mongering.

[ShaneGR]

39. You just fell for the bait....

When you order soemthing, eat it, and don't pay for it, it's theft. Period.

With that said, I don't think this story is real. Regardless, If I ordered a steak at a restaraunt, and the alarm went off after I ate it, I'd pay. If I was in the middle of the meal, I'd track down a manager and explain why I wasn't paying.

[sandnsea]

44. With the fire department all around?

You'd stand around for an hour, with 1-200 people and screaming babies and senior citizens, waiting to tell the manager that you hadn't finished the meal because the fire alarm went off - ??? No you sure as hell wouldn't. Nobody would.

[NorthernSpy]

97. What -- your hands are broken? You can't write a note?

You'd stand around for an hour, with 1-200 people and screaming babies and senior citizens, waiting to tell the manager that you hadn't finished the meal because the fire alarm went off - ??? No you sure as hell wouldn't. Nobody would.

On the contrary, I'd spend the time writing a note listing anything I'd already finished (drinks, appetizers), and anything I'd been served and hadn't had a chance to finish, and anything I'd ordered and not yet received. I'd certainly pay for whatever I'd consumed. And I'd find my waiter and give him his tip before leaving.


And I'd tell the manager that I was glad that the place had a working fire alarm and that everyone was okay.



Don't think I wouldn't. I don't mind being different.

[sandnsea]

129. You'd be told to leave

The fire department wouldn't let you, you'd be told to leave. Have so many people seriously never even paid attention to what happens when there's a fire?? This is just stupid. When people think there's a fire, helping others and getting out of the way is what EVERYBODY is thinking about. If you're thinking about money when people might be in trouble with their very lives, then you've got some screwed up priorities.

[NorthernSpy]

137. except that it became obvious that the fire department weren't there to fight a fire...

They were checking out an alarm with no actual evidence of fire.


When the fire department want people to leave the vicinity, then they get out a bullhorn and tell them to go. And of course, people must not get in the way of rescue personnel in any case. But NOTHING in the OP suggests that any such thing happened.


If the firefighters order the grounds cleared, then people should obey them. But when they don't give such an order and there doesn't seem to be any reason why they should, then folks should not use the fire alarm as a reason to make a quick getaway without paying for what they've consumed.


And I think my priorities are okay, thanks.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=2530500&mesg_id=2531844

[sandnsea]

139. They always respond the same

They always respond as if there's a fire. The procedures are the same every time. The people in this thread are reactionary fools who are simply not thinking. They'd leave. And the management would apologize for the disruption and sheer terror the diners went through by comping the meals.

[NorthernSpy]

142. no, they don't...

Haven't you ever been in a situation like this?

Commercial fire alarms are often set to automatically summon the fire department if they go off. Most such calls turn out to be false alarms.

The fire department expects this, but they have to go in to check it out anyway. People have to stay out of their way, but do not have to leave the vicinity unless the firefighters find something amiss.


That's just how it always is.

The people in this thread are reactionary fools who are simply not thinking.

No, some of us are trying to take ALL the ethical issues into account, not just the ones that happen to be friendly to our own interests.

[sandnsea]

148. Yeah, people have to stay out of the way

They can't hunt down the manager to pass around notes and money like some claim they would. It takes time for the fire department to check out the facility and give the all clear. People are going to be kept away from the building and if space is at a premium, asked to get their cars and leave. Most people are just not going to wait and would not have finished their meal or even ordered yet. People in this thread are simply not thinking. They're delighting in their self-righteousness while actively lying to themselves. Happens at DU all the time.

[GirlinContempt]

183. Sheer terror?

Are you for reals? :rofl:

[Flatulo]

196. Sheer terror???

Take a few deep breaths dude. There was no sheer terror. There was a bee beep beep and the manager came out from the back and said 'folks, there is no fire, but we still have to evacuate the bulding until the fire chief clears the alarm'.

Enough with the scenarios already.

By the way, for you folks who call BS on the whole story, the Applebees in question is at

70 Worcester Providence Turnpike
Millbury, MA 01527

Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Call them yourself and ask for the manager. The alarm happened last Thursday at around 6:00.

If this doesn't satisfy you, then I suggest you try staring into the sun for a while.

[sandnsea]

220. I lost my home in a fire

My husband was hospitalized for weeks. SHEER TERROR when a fire alarm goes off or even smell a hint of smoke. Nobody should be expected to go back in at all, let alone finish and pay for a cold meal. This is a management problem as it obviously has happened more than once.

[Flatulo]

224. I sympathize with you... I was burned out of my house three

times by my raging alcoholic bastard of a father.

Still, there was no fire at Applebees. No smoke either.

You say it is a management problem, but I would say it was a technical problem with the alarm system.

I'm just surprised that so many patrons would choose to leave the premises while still chewing food that they had not paid for. I see this as a character issue.

[sandnsea]

226. The manager says he KNEW they wouldn't return

It had happened before. Maybe you were thrown out of Applebee's by an irresponsible raging alcoholic bastard of a manager. Did you ever think of that? Maybe your co-dependency is causing you to take responsibilty for something that isn't yours, the manager's lousy alarm system or whatever the hell keeps causing this to happen to the point he KNOWS people won't return.

[Flatulo]

162. There was no fire. The manager told everyone this as they were

exiting the premises.

The people who left did so for reasons other than safety.

The law requires that the building be evacuated when the alarm goes off, even if there is certainty that there is no fire.

The fire chief comes and clears the alarm, then the staff and guests can re-enter the building.

By the way, this is such a small town (Millbury MA) that we heard the fire chief's siren coming while we were exiting the building. The fire dept is like 1 mile away.

[sandnsea]

167. The manager could be wrong

I live in a small town too and I know the fire department doesn't take anybody's word for what's happening when an alarm goes off. They have a liability too. It takes time to check a building. If the fire department didn't do their job, you ought to be pissed about that. The people who left had their dinner interrupted by an incompetent restaurant manager and went somewhere else to eat. The ones who came back to pay are the ones who had finished their meal. The only problem is the manager trying to blame his losses on the diners instead of himself.

[Orsino]

130. It's not that simple.

The heavily-implied contract says that you get to finish your meal in peace, and pay for it while still comfortably seated. When an alarm sends you out into the street before you can finish, I think that contract has been reneged upon--and possibly, with no one at fault. If I had actually gotten my meal, I would have evacuated, clearing the premises for the fire department and tried to settle up later.

As a restaurant owner/franchisee, I would be thinking of ways to convince potential customers that the place is not all that flammable, perhaps by issuing coupons, rather than cursing those few that didn't pay for interrupted and frightening meals.

A restaurant owner who tries to track down cheaters deserves to have an inconvenience fee deducted from every bill. A smart one will simply work to ensure that the next business day takes place in a safe and comfortable environment. I know that reality TV does its best to teach us to pretend to be offended by "cheaters," but real stories are usually more complex.

[readmoreoften]

46. I agree. A good portion of people either hadn't eaten or were in the middle of a meal.

It's Applebees to take on the chin. Of those 50-60 probably only 5 or so skipped out on the meal, if that many.

[dysfunctional press]

104. some people may have also left money on the table...

if they had finished and already had their bill, especially.

[Akoto]

20. I enjoy eating at Applebee's.

Sad about people ditching their bills like that. The ones who ate outside were particularly shameless. Maybe some of them thought there was a real fire and they'd not be able to go back in, but ...

Eating out in general isn't nutritionally good. Even so, I try to patronize restaurants which have switched away from trans fat oils, of which Applebee's is one.

[DiverDave]

21. Why the discussion?,

If they owed the restaurant money, and they walked, the STOLE from the place.
Period.

[HiddenInVA]

22. Sad, sad, sad.........

And we wonder about the state of society today.....

As a FF, I've shown up at restaurants such as this many times before in the past, and I'm sure I will
many times in the future.

For the poster who commented on how the manager should figure out why the alarm is going off, and how
this would make him a better manager, I'll venture to say that it's a toss-up. Yes, it's possible that
there are practices going on in his building that may be causing the alarms to go off. Hopefully, there
is somebody at corporate who tracks incidents such as this, and monitors number of alarms that each
manager has on their shift, the cause as relayed by the responding fire official, etc. This should all
be in the daily log or report from the manager, and is something that corporate is keeping an eye on,
as most (not all, but a vast majority) jurisdictions keep track of the number of calls to a particular
place of business, the circumstances, etc. And if they reach a certain number for no justifiable reason,
the city/county will fine the business for failure to maintain their safety equipment. (A building code
requirement that they can point as justification.)

But it's also possible that the manager has no control over the problem - mechanical devices break/
malfunction, faulty installation, etc. (I know one restaurant in our first-due area that we constantly
respond to for a faulty detector. The manager is embarrassed as all get out when we show up, and has
shown the fire marshal his reports, but it appears that the national chain thinks it's cheaper to pay
the fines, than it is to shut the place down long enough to correct the problem, and lose the couple of
day's receipts. Go figure....) The FM also closed down a place not too long ago that had a standard
practice (knuckleheads hung themselves by even putting it in writing! :rofl:) of shutting down their
fire alarms in the morning when they opened up, as the detectors in the kitchen were always going off,
and the owner didn't want to hear them beeping, and didn't want to waste his $$ to pay to get it fixed
right...

As for expecting a free or comped meal, well, that might be good PR on one hand, but to expect it
because you were 'inconvenienced' or the alarm jangled your nerves a bit? I can't say that I agree on
that one. You were out in the dining room eating your filet, the alarm goes off, but you can't see or
smell anything. "Oh bother!" But just because you can't see or smell it, doesn't mean that there isn't
a major fire ramping up back in the kitchen, (and the cooks hauled ass out the backdoor w/o saying a
word, leaving you all to fry) and that alarm is giving you the time to get out the door with you and
your family's skin in one piece. Considering how fast fire can spread, especially with kitchens using
gas for cooking, you might need that minute in order to escape.

Personally, I'd rather be inconvenienced for safety's sake, than have my widow suing the restaurant for
not having safety equipment in place.

Just my thoughts.....:)

[magellan]

24. I'm not sure why you're getting such a hard time from others

...about your OP, but I agree with your assessment of the general dishonesty out there. Too many people try to get away with whatever they can nowadays. It used to be a small avoidable minority. Now it's everywhere. You only have to take a short drive in your car to discover how many drivers are willing to break the law any number of ways -- speeding, illegal overtaking, etc -- and they expect you to do the same or get out of their way. (I estimate around 50% of the population don't know how to use their turn signal, or even know what it is.)

And I can't tell you how many times I've brought items home from the supermarket only to find they've already been opened and used/tasted/whatever and put back on the shelf. Nowadays I take from the back and whenever possible check to see if the item's been previously sampled before placing it in my cart.

Your story doesn't surprise me in the least. It's just another dismal example of how thoughtless and ruthless our society has become.

[sandnsea]

33. You need to find a new store

I have never in my life bought something at the store that had been opened. Do you take it back and tell them? Or tell them when you find something IN the store, since it happens so often I'm sure you could easily show the management the problem.

[magellan]

35. It's happened in both our local supermarkets

Yes, I've taken the items back each time, and when I find one in the store I take it to customer services. It keeps happening. There's not a lot they can do to stop the freaks who do it.

[sandnsea]

45. They manage to stop them here

Why does Florida have all these problems that don't happen anywhere else in the country?

[John Q. Citizen]

48. I've never had it happen to me, but then again, I've never been grocery shopping in Florida.

I've been grocery shopping all over the West, the Pacific Coast, Mexico, Canada, in cities, towns and countryside.

I can't recall talking to anyone else who had this problem. Even friends from Florida.

[magellan]

157. Well, now you know someone who's had this problem. n/t

[magellan]

156. Don't ask me

We've only lived here a few years and would dearly love to get the hell out of Dodge.

[Greyhound]

212. Criminality is protected by law in FL and TX, Other states to a lesser degree.

That's why they are the states of choice for incorporating typically abusive and shady businesses.

[Catherine Vincent]

25. The ones that didn't pay up were probably Republicans. nt

[Yupster]

235. After reading this thread,

I doubt they all were.

[pipoman]

26. I agree to a point

If I had not gotten my food or didn't have time to eat most of it, I probably would tell the manager I was leaving and didn't think I owe the bill, give the server a nice tip and leave. If I had finished my meal I would pay the bill and the tip.

As for those talking about the food quality, I am pretty sure all those who go there know what they are getting for their money.

[alphafemale]

28. People who had finished eating probably should have paid. But not people who hadn't recieved meals.

I'd think most people probably HADN'T finished.

It would be really unfair to expect people to pay for a meal they didn't get to eat.

If I'd have been manager I'd have probably not only let people know that they were forgiven of charges, but I'd of been passing out some gift certificates and apologizing all over the place.

"I'm terribly sorry. Please come back."

Keep your customers happy.

[orleans]

54. that's what i was thinking. tell customers their meal is on the house

and i hope they come back another time.

a fire alarm is really scary -- and loud -- and there is a sense of panic because you don't know what the fuck is going on, but you automatically assume: FIRE.

kids get frightened, it's loud and if they're old enough to know it's a fire alarm they assume: FIRE

older people who can't walk fast, or have heart problems--

and as a patron of restaurants (infrequently) i would hesitate about going back to a place where there was a false alarm or a real alarm

so--yes. i'd not only tell them their meal was on the house but i'd probably be giving out gift certificates in order not to lose customers

[Omphaloskepsis]

153. I worked at a movie theater through many fire alarms.

The first thing the managers did was grab rolls of comp tickets from the safe. We would hand them out like candy.

And out fire alarm didn't go "beep,beep,beep". Strobe lights over the exits started going off. All of the movies stop and the lights got really bright. And a automated voice instructed people how to get out of the building. The first time it happened it was actually scary.

And really.. Who is going to sit in a parking lot for a unknown amount time to settle the tab? The OP did.. I wouldn't, I would go to the Olive Garden so I could get filled up.

[Flatulo]

198. Correction...

I didn't go out to the car - I hung around by the front door. Since most of the crowd had left, there was plentry of room there and the FD didn't chase us away.

[Luminous Animal]

30. What the hell did the staff of Applebees do?

Did the manager instruct the staff to make the clientele comfortable? Did they bring out beverages or snacks? Or pass out rain checks for a free salad or desert?

Nope. The only courtesy that was offered was an open door.

Fuck that.

I've lived in San Francisco for 30 years and I've eaten out at least 2 nights a weak at a locally owned restaurants and whenever my dinner has been interrupted, (oh yes, even by an earthquake) you can be damned sure the management did a lot more to make the customers happy than merely holding open a door. If you are going to eat a crap place like Applebees, that treats their customers like crap, then Applebees (and anyone who eats there)shouldn't be surprised to get crap back.

[Maine-ah]

106. actually, AB's pays for everyones meals regardless of

whether or not they come back in.

[KT2000]

32. Really surprised by some posts here

It was theft for sure.
Why some are spinning this is beyond me, especially on a site for Democrats.

[seabeyond]

207. theft yes. some of the post.... reason there were so many stealing when they walked away

from the restaraunt that day. this thread is an example that feel they had a right to not pay the bill and justify their reason for the theft. clear to some, not clear to all. principles taught today.

[PBass]

36. This thread is a little too over-the-top, IMO.

As mentioned, the majority of people did not finish eating. Otherwise, logic dictates that they would not still be inside the restaurant (with maybe a few exceptions).

How long should people be expected to stand around outside the restaurant, until they can go back in and finish their meal, or pay their tab?

20 minutes?
40 minutes?
An hour?

And how would you know, how long it would take before you can go back in?

Applebees screwed up here, and it is proper that they should expect to take a loss, IMO.

[LisaL]

42. I agree with you.

Theft?
If you haven't finished your meal, and had to get out, then why should you pay for it?
If they had waited until the fire alarm situation cleared, and gone back, the un-finished meal would have become cold. So they would have to order a new one, and again wait for it.
Why should they pay for it?

[ShaneGR]

38. Link to your story? Serves to reason that a mass theft on this scale would get a mention

Of some sort in some paper, care to back it up?

[LisaL]

41. The poster is describing her own personal observations.

Not everything someone observed is going to end up in a paper.

[Flatulo]

199. Call them yourself...

70 Worcester Providence Turnpike
Millbury, MA 01527

Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

The incident I describe occured last Thursday.

[Shanti Mama]

47. Everyone is missing the point

The OP is not about Appleby's being a corporate restaurant chain or the quality of its food. It's about the lesson we're giving our kids when we walk away from a legal obligation. "Do as I say, no as I do" -- is that what we want to teach our children?

Come on you guys. It is NEVER OK to leave unpaid a bill for something you've eaten/used/enjoyed without complaint. Now, I don't want to start a debate about when it IS OK to not pay a bill. If the alarm had not rung every one of those patrons would have paid their bill. Look at the big picture.

[dysfunctional press]

126. what about the patrons who were only half done, had just been served, or were waiting for food?

:shrug:

[NashVegas]

222. the Point Being: How Not Be a Poor Restaurant Manager

Any manager with a clue would see it as standard operating procedure to pro-actively inform all of the patrons that their bills would be covered, as an apology for the disruption of their meal.

Most educated or semi-educated customers would be aware of this and know they'd not be expected to pay.

By not being pro-active, the manager was putting those patrons in the position of having to argue with management about their bill, or do what they did - act like thieves.

Bet most of them won't be returning anytime soon. OTOH, if the manager had done his job well, they'd have more reason to be loyal customers.

Bottom line: the manager screwed up. First, by not taking a pro-active position on the meal charge, secondly, by whining to the OP.

[Kurovski]

50. Piece of shit dumpwads. Any who had kids with 'em taught 'em

how to act like a proper shithole.

They also ripped-off the wait, bar and bus staff.

Fuck them. They're behaviour is as disgusting as the language I use herein.

BTW, They have onion soup exactly as good as a popular Melman restaurant had in Chicago circa 1970s/80s.

[razzzleberry]

51. the person throwing the false alarm ...

should be sued by A's to recover losses.

if there was a real fire, A. just bought everybody a meal.
nobody likes to be disturbed.

[malaise]

52. I'm betting that most of them

would call themselves Xtians. I think they simple put an X through the commandments they dislike. I swear atheists are more honest than Xtians.

[iwillalwayswonderwhy]

59. I try not to make these kind of judgement calls on strangers

Did some of them eat full meals and take off? Probably. Had some just ordered and not even started eating yet? Likely. Had some only taken two bites and didn't relish the idea of coming back to cold food? Maybe. Might some who had eaten and were ready to pay come back in a day or two and settle up? It's a possibility, and frankly, what I would have probably chosen to do, because if I was at Applebee's it's likely that I'd have my two very young granddaughters with me and hanging out in a parking lot with a 2-year-old isn't my idea of a good thing to do. Even if it did only take 5 minutes to clear up, how would anyone know how long they'd have to wait? Maybe some of them hadn't even ordered yet and decided to go to Chili's instead.

You did the right thing. But you simply cannot know the circumstances of everyone else who was involved.

[bedazzled]

65. that's what i thought - the meal was probably ruined anyway

and they didn't know how long they'd have to be out there

i could forgive it if the person had just ordered and not
received the food, but i probably would have paid, though.

[Swamp Rat]

61. Assholes!!

They also ripped off the waiters, the cooks, the clean-up crew, etc. :(

[The Backlash Cometh]

64. I know exactly how honest people become cold.

People are getting ripped off in any number of ways. In my community I see it up close. We're going to get hit with a bill that could be anywhere from $1500 to $5000 to repair infrastructure that was never built properly in the first place, and which should never have been transferred to the Homeowner's Association until it was repaired properly. But, the developer had a lot of locally connected good ole boys doing the work, so, there were probably harsh words exchanged between the out of town developer and the local boys, and in the end, the homeowners got stuck with the bill. Since it's an upscale neighborhood, the upscale neighbors say that oh, that's peanuts, we can pick that up. No need to sue and make anything messy.

But you better damn ass believe they're seething. They've been ripped off, they're victims, and that is going to trickle down. The next time they get a chance to shit on someone, they way they've been shit on, they will do it. And even they won't know where the anti-social behavior came from.

[NNN0LHI]

66. Wait a minute. Isn't Applebee's a cafeteria style restaurant where you pay first?

I have never been to one but this is what I assumed all along.

Don

[VP505]

67. I have only been to one

and NO it wasn't a cafeteria, it was a moderately priced family restaurant.

[gollygee]

68. No - you sit down and eat

You must be thinking of a different restaurant. I have a kid and this is a kid-friendly place so we go there more often than I'm happy about and we've gone to them in quite a few cities. They're all sit-down places with waitstaff.

[NorthernSpy]

89. it's the place where you get sassed by a talking apple...

"Get it together, baby!"


Maybe you've seen the commercials?

[Maine-ah]

155. no.

[karlrschneider]

70. There are assholes on DU (as in other places) who think stealing is just fine

as long as the victim is a member of any of several categories which I won't detail here. :eyes:

[YankmeCrankme]

112. Give it a break Karl, some people just don't think killing is the proper response to stealing. nt

[karlrschneider]

176. And some people think stealing is fine.

Don't even fucking try to deny that.

[YankmeCrankme]

251. Don't cuss at me. You're the one that cheers killing people. nt

[gollygee]

71. If I'd just been served my meal and I hadn't eaten, or if I hadn't eaten much, I wouldn't pay

Why on earth should someone pay for food they didn't get a chance to eat? It's the restaurant's responsibility to keep their equipment working properly and if the fire alarm or kitchen equipment doesn't work and a fire alarm goes off causing me to not be able to eat, then that's their problem.

Now if I'd already eaten, I would probably just leave money on the table so I wouldn't have to stick around until after the fire dept. left.

So I wouldn't assume everyone just skipped out without paying. Some of them were under no obligation to pay, and some of them probably left money on the table. Actually, that kind of thing has happened to us - where the power has gone out and the lights have been out. We knew about how much our meal was and we left plenty for the food and a tip on the table and just left. We weren't going to hang around till the power came back on or anything. Especially when you consider this is a place with tons of kids. You can't hang out for ages with little kids, and likely hungry little kids who weren't able to eat.

It's possible someone might have skipped out when they should have paid. There are certainly opportunists in the world. But I don't think you can assume that's what happened with even the majority of those 50 to 60 people. At least half would have ended up having to leave before they'd had a chance to eat enough where they would be obligated to pay. If I've only had a chance to eat half of my meal when I'm forced by their faulty equipment to leave, I'm not paying, and I can't imagine any reputable company would expect that. Although that's never happened to me - just the circumstance I mentioned above.

[Gormy Cuss]

81. Yes, according to the OP's descriptions, the parties were in various stages of enjoying their meals.

Those who had eaten a substantial portion of their meal should have felt obligated to pay for it, but the others? Yes, the restaurant takes a big hit when several hundred dollars worth of food is wasted like that but it would be generous, not mandatory, for the patrons who had just ordered or just started to eat to pay in this situation. If there were 50 people in the restaurant, chances are that fewer than half had time to eat even part of their meals. If they had to evacuate after eating only a few bites it would be kind to leave some money for the wait staff but I doubt that most people would think that way because of the inconvenience.

[asdjrocky]

74. What jerks.

My question- What about the waitstaff that depends on the tips? It certainly wasn't their fault the alarm went off.

[KeyLimeDem]

75. Even a chain restaurant can be "local"

Have been to Applebee's where the food, service and atmosphere work nicely. And then I've been to ones like the local one here in Florida City, that I'll won't willingly enter again. Management and workers at the restaurant are what it work.

[NashVegas]

76. Less Thieves Than Wimps

When I go to a restaurant for a meal, I expect a few things.

Mostly, I expect to enjoy a warm, good, meal with nothing more than minor interruptions, such as from the wait-staff.

Having to evacuate the restaurant - and leave my meal to cool - for a fire alarm is not a minor interruption.

A mature businessperson understands that and would take the hit on the chin, for goodwill, and not expect any patron that wasn't already on their way out the door to pay for their food.

But in this day and age, we seem to have less mature businessmen and women. Corporations leave little decision-making in local hands anymore, and many don't know how to deal when they are faced with a decision. They know how to run a spreadsheet, but understand very little about customer service. And customers, we're more cranky too.

If I'd been, say, 1/2 way through a meal there and had not been offered a meal on the house, I would expect to be told the meal was on the house. If I wasn't, I'd have to decide whether or not I wanted to risk getting into an argument with the manager, or just split.

Twenty years ago, I'd call your patrons clueless assholes. Today, I'd call them people who know what's right but don't want to get into a confrontation.

PS - I've been to Applebees a few times. The food is average, the Perfect Margaritas are wonderful.

[Sanctified]

86. What about the staff who were all screwed out of tips? n/t

[NashVegas]

136. That's Sucks

They should ask the manager to make it up to them.

[progressoid]

77. I Me Mine...

We're a selfish country.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=4wXVEwU1aGo

[Fox Mulder]

78. If I was there and I heard the alarm go off...

and I didn't finish my meal, I wouldn't pay either.

[NorthernSpy]

83. what if you've already thrown down a couple of drinks, some appetizers, etc?

Are you really not obliged to pay what for you've consumed unless you've put even the very last forkful of dessert in your mouth in a leisurely and uninterrupted fashion?


Waitstaff rely on tips. The restaurant only has to make up the difference between minimum wage and base pay + tips. Not paying = the workers lose a big chunk of their income for the day.

[Nordmadr]

95. This thread makes me sad for a couple of reasons.

1) If true about the overwhelming majority of people walking out on their bill, it doesn't say much for where we are as a society. There is no truly honest justifiable reason to walk out on your bill in this situation.

2) There are some seriously pompous elitist whiny ass bitches on this forum. Get over your fucking selves. You aren't as special and entitled as you think.

Merry Christmas.

Olafr

[WillowTree]

158. Ditto.

[L0oniX]

96. Americans don't mind stealing...we're stealing Iraqis oil too and...

we're stealing our children's future by handing down a huge debt to them and ruining the land, water, air etc.

[treestar]

99. It sounds like the 80s are still with us

They probably just figure the Big Business Restaurant can afford it, and that they were incovenienced by having to wait the extra time, or that insurance covers it. It also reflects on the impersonal nature of our society - they wouldn't do it if they were known there or knew the proprietor.

[Maine-ah]

101. lol, we have that problem quite often.

But when the alarm goes off, and people are standing outside in the middle of winter our manager buys everyones meals. (yes, this is Applebee's) When we first opened there was a problem with the system being too sensitive, so we had 7 alarms the first 2 weeks we were open. This winter we have had two, but they have finally fixed it, so hopefully no more alarms.

Personally, I have no problem with the people not coming back. There meals will be paid for. My problem, is that the servers usually don't get their gratuity. Nothing like having a full section, and nobody comes back.

[NashVegas]

135. Thank You for Posting - I Wish More People Understood Good Business

Sorry about the tips aspect, that really sucks. Headquarters needs to anti up a nice bonus.

By paying for patrons' meals in the circumstance, your manager encourages repeat customers.

By not announcing he'll pay for patrons' meals when he should, up front, the other manager encourages people to act like sneaks and then feel guilty about it after, so they probably won't return to the restaurant anytime soon.

[NorthernSpy]

117. let's list the ethical issues involved:

• The restaurant has to maintain safe premises. Keeping smoke detectors and fire alarms in good working order is part of that.
  
  
• Nothing should impede an evacuation.
  
  When a fire alarm sounds, lives and safety are the paramount concern. People have an ethical duty not to delay even briefly by collecting dishes from the table and attempting to carry them out the door, because this could slow down the evacuation; create a hazard from dropped dishes and spilled food; and could have the effect of reducing the sense of urgency and encouraging others not to take the alarm seriously. Also, the restaurant must not impede evacuation by attempting to collect payment.
  
  
• Workers must have their pay. Waitstaff largely rely on tips.
  
  
• The restaurant may not cheat its customers by charging them for goods not delivered. Ordering people off the premises via fire alarm, so that they cannot make use of the goods delivered, is the same thing as not delivering the goods.
  
  
• Customers must pay for goods received. They must settle up for what they rightly owe.
  
  
• People must not get in the way of rescue personnel.
  
  
• Using the fire alarm as an opportunity not to pay for goods received might create an incentive for the restaurant to turn off or cover smoke detectors, or to make pullable fire alarms hard to access. This could endanger people.

By taking that whole swirl of competing ethical issues into account, each person in that situation can figure out what he or she should do.

[LWolf]

118. It really doesn't matter who you chose to buy from.

It's a matter of personal integrity, having nothing to do with Applebees or any other seller of anything. I, too, would have stayed to pay my bill.

If I didn't like Applebees, the food, or the corporation, I wouldn't go there to begin with.

[shenmue]

132. I would have gone back

Even if they were scared because of the emergency, they should have called or come back later.

[RandomKoolzip]

138. As someone who works in food service, I say "Fuck you" to those who would leave w/o paying.

All of us, from the waitstaff to the cooks to the busboys to the dishwashers, are living below the poverty line. Almost all of us live one paycheck away from ruin. When you leave w/o paying, you're not doing something "radical" or daring, you're not "sticking it to the man" or gleefully ripping off some giant corporation like a modern-day Robin Hood, you're merely depriving working-class folks their rightful wages.

Sure, the money is funneled through the management, the owners, etc. first, but OUR money as food service peons and gruntworkers has to come from SOMEWHERE, and if the restaurant isn't turing a profit, then no one gets paid. This is especially true of the waitstaff (BTW, no one has EVER viewed these jobs as careers, but the reality is that there's simply no job market for most of us and we're stuck with these shitty survival jobs - you can chalk it up to us making bad decisions scold us for that and maybe you'd be partly right, but that sliver of self-recognition really doesn't help us out in any meaningful way. How can you teach a man to fish, etc. if all the fish are dead and the water's dried up?), most of whom bring hone (sans tips) about a hundred bucks every week - they DEPEND on those tips for their livelihood....could YOU live on a hundred bucks a week?

I would think that liberals would be a little more conscious of this shit before they went off spouting and bragging about their radical chic bona-fides.

Thanks, assholes. :eyes:

[sentelle]

141. I think the issue is as such

The customers that walked out without paying should be charged with theft of services, same as anyone who shoplifts.
Here's the thing. If service is bad, you discuss it with the restaurants manager, and you and the manager work it out to both person's satisfaction. By simply walking out, It might feel good to you, and might get you off the hook, but its actually unethical.

Yes, a faulty fire alarm is a pain, and maybe the manager has to comp some of the food, in order to keep customers happy. This sounds more like opportunists.

The larger question is about personal ethics. I do eat out on occasion, and I always pay my bill, even when I don't care for the food. I had a friend get scalded at a restaurant, but we still paid the bill (and yes, the friend handled the scalding matter later). Its about personal ethics. You wouldn't want someone doing it to you, so why do it to others?

I used to know a guy that took it as a point of pride to never pay his bill at a restaurant. There would always be something wrong, and if not, he would simply get up and walk. He would boast of it, even. Its reprehensible.

Even if you cannot be responsible to the people around you, be responsible to your self, and treat others (and with it, yourself) with respect.

[lpbk2713]

146. That guy you used to know .....

Did he later go on to be a local Republican Party official?

Just curious.

:shrug:

[sentelle]

165. no, he's non-political.

a hair-dresser, now with, umm, health issues.

[hisownpetard]

143. The responses on this thread are all over the place! Talk about digressing...

but I agree with the spirit of your OP. The people who were happy to get something for nothing and walked away, guilt-free,
are the same people who purchase coffee in some supermarkets (where you're supposed to pay at the check-out counter),
drink it while they're shopping and then stash the empty cup on a shelf. This used to drive me nuts (it was at Kings, in NJ,
in what's considered an upper-crust neighborhood).

There are just some people who believe it's ok to get away with whatever you can. There is no such thing as 'conscience.'
It's the George Bush Theory in action, in our every day lives.

[flvegan]

149. This is why all Applebee's waitstaff should carry guns.

Yeah, nobody is leaving then, huh!

:popcorn:

[Maine-ah]

151. I may get better tips that way....

but I bet a tazer would work just as well.......

:P

[originalpckelly]

154. Hey, you want to make my ass go outside while I'm eating, you're paying.

Shit happens, that's the nature of business. There will be losses and people will steal. Hopefully, it won't happen too many times, and if it does, that means Applebee's is not being lead by good management, they won't make money, and they'll go out of business. This is how our system works.

[Flatulo]

178. Good point, and the manager had obviously been thru this before

As I said in the OP, the manager mentioned to me that 'most of these people will not be back' when we were exiting.

I forgot to ask him who takes it in the keister - the franchise, or the waiters/waitresses.

[sentelle]

185. knowing how the restaurant business goes

Both.
Wait staff gets minimum wage supplimented by tips..... no check=no tips either.
owner of the franchise gets the rest.

[Maine-ah]

241. waitstaff makes half of minimum wage.It's like 3.50 per hr

[WillowTree]

159. For all anyone here knows

the manager may have comped those people's bills once the alarm was shut off. Even the people who hadn't been served yet, just as a good will measure for the inconvenience. But they didn't stick around to find out. They just took it as an opportunity to skate on their bill.

Bet those folks don't believe that what goes around, comes around. They'll learn that it does..............eventually. Sadly, though, most of them probably won't make the connection.

[proud patriot]

163. The real sad part of that is the tips not left

I know when my mom Waitressed Tips were a very important part of her
salery.

[sentelle]

201. The problem is

This should be at the discretion of the manager, not the customer...
I'm as much of a food snob as anyone else (maybe more), and while Applebee's is not my cup of tea, they DO have the right to be treated like any other restaurant.
Customers that simply leave after eating because of an alarm (especially if they know there is no fire) presume way too much.

The fact is, we don't know what would have happened, because these free-loaders decided to steal. Doing that makes people less likely to take others at face value and it all becomes a difficult game of "is this person just trying to get out of the bill"... a game that the Restaraunt just can't win.

My best advice to patrons of restaurants (in general) is to treat everyone as you'd want to be treated, and this way, there should be no issues.

[LoZoccolo]

170. The ill will due to being forced to pay for a half-eaten meal might have been worse for Applebee's.

If the manager would have put me under that obligation for an at-best cold meal, at-worst no meal, and a wait, for a possible fire that their staff started, I don't know that I would have come back, especially if they laid a guilt trip on me about it. There's something to be said for treating a customer like a valued guest.

[LittleClarkie]

180. I appreciate Applebee's Weight Watcher menu

It's nice to have a place to eat out that I can count on the plan.

That is a shame. I couldn't do it.

[AtomicKitten]

181. Dine and dash works so much better when there's a fire alarm involved.

Good for you for doing the right thing. Cheers.

[Hekate]

188. That's just wrong. The manager will pay for this out of his pocket, not Applebee's Corp.

Of course the man stood at the door directing traffic -- it's his responsibility!

My daughter and I were roused from a dead sleep in a hotel by a fire alarm going off. I wake more rapidly than she does, so I flipped on the lights and said, over the considerable din, "Anne, get your shoes on now." Then I grabbed my purse and we exited to outside the front lobby with the rest of the guests in p.j.s, where we waited for the all-clear.

I have no idea what kind of false alarm it was, I was just grateful not to see my plane tickets and clothes go up in smoke.

The only thing I fault the management for is not actually saying "Sorry for the inconvenience" when they told us we could go back to bed.

And the next morning I paid my bill without another thought. It's the right thing to do. Period.

And as for that disgusting Boomer-bashing subthread: most of us so-called Boomers know and act on it. If the folks who stiffed the Applebee's didn't all have gray hair, they weren't Boomers.

Hekate

[ghostsofgiants]

191. I've been through the same experience.

I (along with everyone else) stuck around and finished my meal afterwards. I've got better things to do than piss and moan about a few minutes of alarm noise.

Also, this thread is ridiculous.

[KansDem]

197. I've been in a similar experience... Bomb scare...

A place called Amarillo Grill in Overland Park, Kansas

My wife and I went there to eat one evening. We were looking forward to steaks cooked on a mesquite grill. The restaurant didn't take reservations, so we waited for about half-an-hour in the lounge while smelling those succulent steaks! :9. We were then seated and and just finished our salad when the server came around and told us we had to leave immediately! :( Someone had phoned in a bomb scare. Well, I had my mouth all set on those mesquite-cooked steaks but we left as did everyone else. :cry: Some people had finished their main course and scurried out of the front door. We all were out of there within 60 seconds.

We went down the street to an Indian restaurant. Now while we both like Indian food, my mouth was still watering for mesquite-cooked steaks...x(

I imagine the restaurant took a huge loss that evening. It's no longer in business.

[Greyhound]

200. It is simply that general acceptance of theft and dishonesty that used to be the domain of the upper

classes has filtered down to the population in general.

When Merrill-Lynch steals hundreds of millions of dollars from their investors by hyping an investment to them that they know is a dog, and get away with it, or when the ruthlessly dishonest business practices of a M$ make them the world's largest software company, or when a murderer is let off with a few years in a "mental hospital" because he has the means to hire excellent attorneys, or is not charged at all because of his social standing, petty theft of a meal becomes irrelevant to most people.

Rob a liquor store and shoot the clerk, get life or the death penalty, rob the treasury for billions and murder millions of people, get the Medal of Freedom.

In short, I just think many people have realized the the rules no longer apply and they're going to get what they can, whenever they can, from whoever they can.

[NashVegas]

205. That's a Sad Statement

I fear may have some merit, albeit not enough to justify violence upon someone.

[Greyhound]

209. I always think that violence should never be initiated and is only a response to violence.

I'm not sure where that fits into this thread, however. :hi:

[Flatulo]

227. You know, that post pretty much summarizes my sentiments.

I can't pass judgement on anyone, because I don't know the circumstances of every diner in the place. But I damn sure know that a bunch of folk walked off because they knew they could get away with it.

It's the general disregard for the rules that I find disappointing. I try to raise my kid to do the right thing even when no one is looking. That's called integrity, something that is sorely lacking these days.

I have no way to prove this, but I bet my parents' generation would have not displayed the behavior I witnessed, at least on the scale I saw.

And I agree, our role models suck. Athletes, businesspeople, politicians, clergy, they all set shitty examples. Once I got mine, you can all kiss my ass.

Sad.

[Greyhound]

232. It is sad, the end of empire. It has happened time and again and the example you posted was one

small, probably insignificant, yet profound example of what we are now.

Peace to you and yours, may all of us get through the maelstrom intact.

[Flatulo]

237. Same to you friend. This may sound corny, but I believe that

even small acts of integrity can make a difference. Random acts of kindness and honesty, if you will.

[earth mom]

202. I don't blame them for walking away-their dinner was ruined.

The restaurant should have comped those meals anyway.

I don't think it's stealing because the restaurant has a responsibility and obligation to their customers and that was broken when the fire alarm went off.

[ronnykmarshall]

204. Probably a bunch of kids running around.

I bet there was mothers milkin all over the place from shocked breast feeding women's boobs flying all over the place.

Was there any Laura Branigan music playing?

:silly:

[Lisa0825]

210. We had a fire alarm when I worked at Papas in Houston...

They comped all the checks. They said it would be impossible to expect everyone to wait around, and it wasn't the customers' fault, so they could go ahead and leave if they did not want to wait around. I think that is the right call to make. I wouldn't want to wait around 30 minutes to get back to my cold food. If my dinner were cut short due to no fault of my own, I'd like it to be comped.

[lovuian]

211. As the economy gets worse and worse you will see more of

these alarms going off

[lumberjack_jeff]

215. Had I been in the restaurant, here's what I would have done:

If I had been served and if I had time to eat a meaningful portion of my meal, I would have waited in my car or done my other evening errands while I waited for the restaurant to reopen.

From your post, it wasn't clear if some of the patrons might have done the same thing.

Another thing - when I eat at a restaurant (infrequently) it usually takes 30 minutes to get chow and 15 to eat it. If this is typical, at any given time, 2/3 of restaurant patrons haven't yet been served. Of those 2/3, how many were able to eat more than a few bites of their meal which is now cold and unattended? If I'm kicked out of a restaurant prior to getting my meal, I'd find food somewhere else and not pay for the food I didn't get at the first restaurant.

Given the above, I'm not surprised if only 10-15% of patrons unceremoniously ejected from the building feel obliged to pay for anything.

[rug]

219. Applebee's hasn't half the charm of Hooters.

[Trajan]

221. Theft is a stain on an individual's self image ...

There is a higher price to pay in lost integrity than that gained by the theft ....

I value my integrity, and would not sell it for such a pittance ....

[Rex]

223. Applebees is a nasty place to eat around here.

Too many roaches.

[gatorboy]

225. The problem is it was dinner time.

Now noon would've been a different story. There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch. :P

[avenger64]

228. Hey, you get hustled out of the place in the middle ...

... of your meal, and you still gotta pay? Applebee's can afford it.

[Flatulo]

230. Would you feel the same way if it were a local mom/pop business?

I don't understand how ability of the owners to absorb the loss has any bearing on the issue.

Unless one believes it is OK to steal from those who can afford to lose the money...?

[MrSlayer]

229. The thing of it is, a lot of times the waiter or waitress has to pay if you dash.

I'm not sure if that is how it will work in this case but a lot of times if you dash out on your check the waiter or waitress has to pick it up and you aren't fucking anyone but them.

[Flatulo]

231. I know that's the case in some places.

I had a friend who waitressed in a popular nightspot. If a table stiffed her, she'd chase them out into the parking lot and confront them. She was pretty spunky.

I don't know what Applebee's policy is...

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

242. Dangerous thing to do......

I recall reading a waitress in Ohio got run over and killed outside a Chili's trying that. Seriously.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

243. You'd be surprised that to some on DU, that doesn't matter......

The service industry often gets crapped on around here in the crossfire of "sticking it to the corporations".

"Let them find another job.". It's actually been used as an argument here.

[yardwork]

238. Disgusting.

[Dorian Gray]

246. Looking at this thread

I find it highly amusing that it's turned into the Great Chain Debates of 1997.

[JVS]

247. kick

[Sugar Smack]

250. OMG! I can't believe this is still up!

:rofl: :patriot: