Would you like to take the rest with you?
Yes, we would. Could we have our check? Ahhh, we’d also like to pay for that table.
Uhh…what table?
Any table really, but we were thinking of that table….
Fingers point discreetly, and the target is understood. We slip him a SMILE card and ask that it be given to them in lue of the bill. He walks over to the register and exchanges a few words with his manager. The Manager looks up, glances over, and smiles. The waiter returns and asks:
He wants to know if this table would be OK?
Again fingers point and the new target is understood. Sure! The new target is a family sitting at a large round table. There’s a young boy in a wheelchair smiling and talking. The waiter leaves us and returns with both checks. I place my credit card inside the dark brown vinyl check holder. He returns, I open the check holder and note that a large discount has been made to the bill. A crisp blue line has been drawn across the price for the entrées and a new one has been written in. 40% or so has been taken off. I smile and think: OK, Its tip time. I write in a tip, to thank them for the discount…..
We race off, hearts pounding and faces smiling.
So tonight I’m paying my bills on-line and see the charge from the restaurant, somehow the tip is gone.
