‘Premeditated’: Toronto man dines and dashes after he orders lasagna. Then the server runs after him outside
Expecting the unexpected from customers is one of the main components working as a server. With a variety of moods, personalities, and sometimes, intentions, filter in and out of your section, it’s a constant carousel of surprises. Some of these can be enough to boil your bood and chase a down a dine and dasher.
The video features Canada-based server Sandra Burke (@sandraburke_). “So, I had an [expletive] dine and dasher the other day. Premeditated, I think because of how it went down,” she begins.
Server Shares Case of Dining and Dashing
From there, she recounts how it all went down in the Ontario restaurant where she works.
“So, this older man comes in, and he sits in my section.” After introducing herself, she asks if she could get him anything to drink. “A coffee and a water,’” she recounts him saying before amending, “Actually, make that a strawberry milkshake and a water.”
Once she returns with his beverages, she inquires about food. “‘What are your specials today?” the content creator says he asked. “I tell him the [expletive] 10 specials we have on for the weekend.”
Eventually, the customer settles on a special, not too long after.
“He gets the perogies and goes, ‘I might get some dinner, too. I’m just gonna see how I feel after this,'” she recalls him saying. “‘I’ll get the lasagna,” the customer says.
However, Burke has an inkling about the customer’s scheme. “Mind you, he’s just on his phone. He’s there by himself. He sat pretty close to the door,” she shares.
When her back is turned, the customer confirms her suspicion. “From the footage, the [expletive] man gets up as I leave to go back and make this cake dessert for another table,” the content creator reveals. “So, I run out the front door and I see him skirting off out of the parking lot.”
Although Burke isn’t able to catch the thief who skimped her out of a $41 bill, she didn’t leave empty-handed. “I got his [expletive] license plate,” she says. “I told the manager what happened. They’re not gonna call the police or anything. I also have the footage.”
What Did Viewers Think?
Burke’s video garnered over 82,000 views, sparking outrage in the comments section. Because her workplace refused to call the police, they proposed alternatives.
“Print out a photo and place it on the wall or door,” one viewer recommended.
“I think everyone should have to pay upfront,” a second suggested.
“Yes. post the license and the story…Manager should had called the police.,” a third stated.
Moreover, others shared their personal experience with dine and dashers.
“I had a couple do that. Chased out after they left. Found them and he asked if I wanted him to back up so I could read the license plate,” one commenter recalled.
“I went to dinner with 4 friends once and they left without paying. I stayed and paid my part. It’s SO rude to do that,” another commented.
What Are Canada’s Laws About Dining And Dashing?
Like in the United States, dining and dashing is a form of theft in Canada. According to the Government of Canada’s Criminal Code, anyone who fraudulently obtains food or drink (i.e. food fraud) from an establishment is subject to punishable offenses. However, the intent of dine and dashing has to be proven. If the accused is found guilty, they will be sentenced to two years in jail and a $5,000 fine, Strategic Criminal Defense states.
During an instance like Burke’s, servers must collect as much information about the (physical description, vehicle, license plate, time and place, etc.) and inform the on-duty manager. From there, the manager can decide how to handle it. Although it’s illegal for restaurants to force or deduct pay from the server to cover the walker’s bill in Canada, this varies in the United States.
@sandraburke_ Premeditated dine and dash ? #serverlife #waitress #rant #serverproblems #waitresslife ♬ original sound – noahksticks
The Mary Sue reached out to Burke via Instagram direct message and TikTok comment.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
