When rude becomes petty larceny

  So, my story is that I've been either a server or a cook for the past 28 () years.
  I have witnessed umpteen people making their own free lemonade, bringing in teabags and needing LOTS of hot water, lemon, sugar, honey... you know, free stuff.
   Many,many people come in for brunch with their newly purchased *tarbucks coffee and fully expect to have it refilled.... Sigh, such is the life and for the most part I still love it (I'm a people person, I know,  I'll shut up! ) 
     Anyhoo, I just read a blog about how to be cheap while dining out; One of the suggestions was to get the soup and salad bar (which comes with bread) And then you fish out all the chicken/beef/whatever out of the soup and make yourself a delicious free sandwich.
 I was speechless, but then decided to see what you fine folks think about things like this, I guess my main sadness is focused on the poor schmucks behind this yahoo in line...

Dawn, keep looking at the big picture.  Hopefully these people are in the minority at you place of employment.

Tomato soup was never that great with hot water and ketchup packets.

I was in a Soup Plantation with my mother when she commented on a woman that I had noticed walking back and forth by our table.

Other than noticing her, I wasn't paying much attention.

Mom said look at her plate.  Is she eating all she's taking?  I was facing her, Mom was not.

When I looked at her plate she had 4 muffins on it.  She sat down in a booth.  She was dining alone except for a big open top shopping bag sitting next to her.

You guessed it.  She sat down and slid all four of those muffins in to her bag.  She messed around with the food on her plate and I witnessed her doing this 3 more times.

I really wanted to clue the staff to her actions, but my mother wanted me to leave it alone.

Making a sandwich out of soup meat is bad, but stocking up on a month's worth of muffins?

As far as the chicken in the soup.

I dig out the noodles and chicken in the chicken soup and add it to the other soups that I eat.  I've watched them add more noodles and chicken to the stock so I guess I'm not the only one and they let it happen.

I never thought twice about doing that because it's a buffet and I'm entitled to eat anything there... while I'm there.

Now you have me wondering.  Have I been bad?

I can remember being unable to afford to eat anything and going into places and asking for a cup of hot water, and then putting catsup in it, along with salt and pepper and having that as my only food for the day.

AHI MPLS
 
Anyhoo, I just read a blog about how to be cheap while dining out; One of the suggestions was to get the soup and salad bar (which comes with bread) And then you fish out all the chicken/beef/whatever out of the soup and make yourself a delicious free sandwich. 

The only way the sandwich would actually be free is if the soup and salad bar were free if ordered by itself, which I don't think I have ever seen!  Otherwise, the cost of the "free" soup and salad bar is figured into the price of the entree that it comes with, or there is a specific price for someone who just wants the soup and salad bar (which should cover the cost of the "free" sandwich with no trouble).

I went on a vacation with an Aunt & Uncle who would raid the packets of sugar, salt, pepper, ketchup, and what ever else was on the table. She would open her big purse and just shovel it in. After the second time, I told her not to do that anymore, if she wanted sugar or salt I would buy it for her.

They never did it again in my presence. The thing was, they had lots of money.

  Oh, But what I mean is more because this blogger person is telling people to dig all the good stuff out of the soup Thusly leaving no good stuff for the next guy who THOUGHT the soup was beef barley,NOT barley in brown gravy....I myself am not above slightly abusing the toppins' station(mmmm sauerkraut) or swiping a grape now and then;  just seems like to go out with the full intention of getting every single possible thing that you could possibly be entitled (?) to is somehow just a little bit wrong... no offense meant .  

Personally, I can't imagine how bland and tasteless a chicken sandwich made from soup meat must be.

When I was in high school we used to make "lemonade" using water, lemon and sugar packets.  It was perfectly awful, but free.  Then the restaurant we always went to for lunch started charging 50 cents for a cup of water, while actual lemonade was only 65 cents.  We just sucked it up and paid after that.

AHI MPLS


  So, my story is that I've been either a server or a cook for the past 28 () years.
  I have witnessed umpteen people making their own free lemonade, bringing in teabags and needing LOTS of hot water, lemon, sugar, honey... you know, free stuff.
   Many,many people come in for brunch with their newly purchased *tarbucks coffee and fully expect to have it refilled.... Sigh, such is the life and for the most part I still love it (I'm a people person, I know,  I'll shut up! ) 
     Anyhoo, I just read a blog about how to be cheap while dining out; One of the suggestions was to get the soup and salad bar (which comes with bread) And then you fish out all the chicken/beef/whatever out of the soup and make yourself a delicious free sandwich.
 I was speechless, but then decided to see what you fine folks think about things like this, I guess my main sadness is focused on the poor schmucks behind this yahoo in line...

I've never, ever seen anything like what you describe.  I cannot even fathom the gall of someone bringing any kind of food or drink into a restaurant to consume there.  Well, maybe formula or the like for a baby.

I have seen people come into a fairly nice restaurant and bring in sacks of McDonald's meals for the kids. Just as bad as bring in your Starbucks.

   When I waitressed @ Mc&schmicks there was a tiny well dressed woman in her late 80's who would come in every 2-3 days and read the menu while eating the sourdough bread and sipping on hot lemon water. 
 She would then decide that nothing really appealed to her today...she never sat for more then 15 minutes so it wasn't too much of a problem; Her nickname was of course, Bread Lady. 
   One day I was downtown with a friend who is a waiter at a mexican restaurant and he starts waving at someone that is out of my line of sight, I ask who and he says "Tortilla Lady" I race around the corner and sure enough,  
  there she was.  

AHI MPLS
 
  I have witnessed umpteen people making their own free lemonade, bringing in teabags and needing LOTS of hot water, lemon, sugar, honey... you know, free stuff.
   Many,many people come in for brunch with their newly purchased *tarbucks coffee and fully expect to have it refilled.... Sigh, such is the life and for the most part I still love it (I'm a people person, I know,  I'll shut up! ) 

Such is the life? Where? This happens on a regular basis? 

  Yep, a very, very regular basis.  From the dive bar to the white tablecloth snooty place, extreme frugality knows no bounds.     don't even get me started on the toilet paper pilferers....

If someone is hungry, I would not begrudge them ketchup packets, hot water, crackers, etc.

It is when they have money to spend but choose to do these things that it's a little ridiculous.

How would you like to go to Muffin Lady's house for lunch?

....I have been there..not much fun..kind of scary...

AHI MPLS


   When I waitressed @ Mc&schmicks there was a tiny well dressed woman in her late 80's who would come in every 2-3 days and read the menu while eating the sourdough bread and sipping on hot lemon water. 
 She would then decide that nothing really appealed to her today...she never sat for more then 15 minutes so it wasn't too much of a problem; Her nickname was of course, Bread Lady. 
   One day I was downtown with a friend who is a waiter at a mexican restaurant and he starts waving at someone that is out of my line of sight, I ask who and he says "Tortilla Lady" I race around the corner and sure enough,  
  there she was.  

Funny1

No lie. As I was reading this thread, a lady called in and asked me if I would smoke her brisket she wanted to bring in, and when I said no, she said well they do that for you in Texas.

    I hope you gave her directions to Texas!  

Now those two last posts are hilarious imho!

AHI MPLS


    I hope you gave her directions to Texas!  

Someone that stupid couldn't find Texas if it was her neighboring state

 No, I meant give her EXPLICIT instructions as to where she should go...
     At least she didn't want you to wash her cat. 

chewingthefat

AHI MPLS


    I hope you gave her directions to Texas!  

Someone that stupid couldn't find Texas if it was her neighboring state

I donno, around here some fish fry places offer to fry your fish.  I guess there's a price?  Could it be the same for meat in TX?

they would have to have big cookers and encourage practice and charge good fee to make it worthwhile IMHO.

  Nice! My old roommate/coworker just reminded me to yap about the big "International Birthday Party"  
    We were working at a teeny-tiny Middle Eastern restaurant ( 11 tables plus a small patio) A woman calls to make reservations for 16, B-day party-wants ethnic international flair....Asks owner if there is a minimum per person, he says nope.
   Thursday night, 6:00...Where are they? 6:28...3 men and 4 toddlers burst in followed by some biggish kids and 3 women bearing crockpots and tupperware.
   Very,very long story short, they ordered 1 Sheik's delight dinner, 1 small hummus, 1 side order of spinach pie and 3 sides of pita bread. 
    And water with lemon. for everyone.
 And proceeded to feast on Swedish meatballs, 7 layer taco salad (), baked ziti, and extremely stinky deviled eggs.  
          The owner was nowhere to be found, they took up 5 tables for nearly 4 hours, their bill was about $27.00,
           Our tip (we shared the table) was $6.00.  Sigh. 

kland01s


I have seen people come into a fairly nice restaurant and bring in sacks of McDonald's meals for the kids. Just as bad as bring in your Starbucks.

 
The only place I've seen it is at Sushi bars.  I have been seeing more places with signs that say no outside food or drinks allowed.
 

plb

kland01s


I have seen people come into a fairly nice restaurant and bring in sacks of McDonald's meals for the kids. Just as bad as bring in your Starbucks.

 
The only place I've seen it is at Sushi bars.  I have been seeing more places with signs that say no outside food or drinks allowed.
 

Around here, it is against the law to bring outside food into a restaurant.  The ONLY exception is baby food and/or bottles.

AHI MPLS


 No, I meant give her EXPLICIT instructions as to where she should go...
     At least she didn't want you to wash her cat. 

If she calls me again, I'll smoke her cat

     !!

AHI MPLS


  Nice! My old roommate/coworker just reminded me to yap about the big "International Birthday Party"  
    We were working at a teeny-tiny Middle Eastern restaurant ( 11 tables plus a small patio) A woman calls to make reservations for 16, B-day party-wants ethnic international flair....Asks owner if there is a minimum per person, he says nope.
   Thursday night, 6:00...Where are they? 6:28...3 men and 4 toddlers burst in followed by some biggish kids and 3 women bearing crockpots and tupperware.
   Very,very long story short, they ordered 1 Sheik's delight dinner, 1 small hummus, 1 side order of spinach pie and 3 sides of pita bread. 
    And water with lemon. for everyone.
 And proceeded to feast on Swedish meatballs, 7 layer taco salad (), baked ziti, and extremely stinky deviled eggs.  
          The owner was nowhere to be found, they took up 5 tables for nearly 4 hours, their bill was about $27.00,
           Our tip (we shared the table) was $6.00.  Sigh. 

After the first hour,  you and co workers should have started singing Hava Nagila, at the top of your lungs.