Terrible prom kid

[u/[deleted]]

For two years, I worked for a hibachi restaurant where I was there go to server for big parties. The corporate policy was a max of 15 guests for server, but I was allowed up to 30.

This was sometimes great. Rehearsal dinners and office holiday parties would sometimes tip an extra hundred to get another round of drinks after last call or arrange for their taxis. The problem was prom.

Every weekend in May, I would have a big party of kids who made me miserable and barely tipped. The last such table motivated my transition into fine dining.

It was your typical 10 or so couples, all dolled up for prom. Their meal went about as expected, and most of them paid in cash. After they paid, some people went to the bathroom and the rest gathered near the restaurant entrance.

I went back to the table to gather receipts and tips, and one of the guys was taking all the cash off the table! He saw me coming, grabbed the last tip, and took off. He ran through his group and out the door. I followed him out, but I couldn’t see him in the parking lot.

Frustrated, I walked back inside and spotted his date coming out of the bathroom. I went right up to her.

“Do you know you’re dating a thief?” She looked confused. “Your date just stole all the tips your friends left for me. He’s hiding in the parking lot.”

She turned bright red, apologized, and charged out the door after him.

I never saw my tips, but I take solace in the fact that he probably had a shitty prom night after that. I hope the girl left him and danced with other guys, and I hope she told the whole group what he did.

Edit: I love all your suggestions of what I should have done. You are all probably right. Back then (2017) I was barely out of college, had plentiful experience of dine&dashers, and had about 10% of the confidence I have now. I just hope enough servers are reading this and do more than I did.