Texas Family Goes to Eat at Texas Roadhouse, Only to Find a Police Officer Serving Them Instead: ‘Please Don’t Scare’
To protect and serve.
When you go to a restaurant, you usually expect a server to take your orders and serve the food. But for one family, it seemed as if they entered a new world where it was the police serving them, literally. Maribel Marin (@maribelmarin40) shared her dining experience at a Texas Roadhouse that showed a police officer as their server for the night.
In Marin’s video, which has since accumulated over 364,000 views, she and her family of four visited the popular steakhouse at their Leander, Texas location. Her video captured the moment a uniformed police officer handed the family their orders of ribs, corn, steaks, and shrimp, while an actual Texas Roadhouse server assisted the police officer in handing off the meals to the customers.
Marin and her family seemed to be amused by the entire unexpected situation of an officer temporarily swapping in their police gear for a pen and a menu, although Marin may have been a little worried given the restaurant was full of law enforcement. “I didn’t know whether to run away or grab the food. Please don’t scare me,” Marin said in the video’s caption.
The Officers Were Actually There for a Fundraiser
While it might seem like an entire police department just decided to have some fun at a restaurant, their presence at Texas Roadhouse is actually a part of a fundraiser event. The Tip-A-Cop is a yearly special event in partnership with Texas Roadhouse locations, where Texas Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) officers engage and serve guests while collecting donations that directly support the programs under the Special Olympics.
The Special Olympics is a campaign that aims to gather funds for different causes that promote inclusion and community engagement, with other U.S. states participating in the fundraising event. This year, per their website, Special Olympics Texas gathered funds to support sports training and athletic competition for children and adults that have intellectual disabilities.
Regarding the fundraising event, one officer representing the Special Olympics South Carolina shared their experience serving at the restaurant with WIS 10. “It’s been good. We’re here for a good reason, the Special Olympics,” Master Deputy Toddson Catoe said. “Seeing individuals that represent that facet come out and being able to give back to the community, talk to people. It’s good to be out here. Not from the law enforcement side, but as a human, community member, and serving food. It’s different. It’s cool.”
Some Diners Weren’t Sure How to Feel About the Event
While the rationale behind Tip-A-Cop should supposedly gather positive publicity and increase donations, it seemed that many weren’t aware of the charity event. “What why is the cop serving,” one comment asked. Some viewers were a bit more apprehensive about a police officer serving their food. “I had no idea this was a thing and I’d genuinely leave,” a comment read. “Would’ve ruined my entire dining experience,” another said.
Others claimed that the actual Texas Roadhouse servers would receive fewer tips as a result of the fundraising event and police officers receiving the gratuity. “Tip a cop is my least favorite night at the restaurant. They’re just in the way all night, taking our tips,” a commenter said. “As a server, I request this day off so fast,” another comment read. However, how true this is cannot be confirmed.
In a statement to BroBible, a representative of Special Olympics Texas said, “Anyone can support Tip-A-Cop by attending an event, enjoying a meal, and making an optional donation.” The organization added that each donation helps to create opportunities for athletes.
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