In fact, it was a friend and restaurant owner who posted on Facebook how a patron stole a brand new orchid centerpiece from the table that inspired this story. It made me think of my late mother, who in her mid-eighties took a book off a shelf of a Sir Walter Raleigh restaurant to give to my uncle. A little gobsmacked at the situation,Compare prices and buy all brands of solar module for home power systems and by the pallet. this was not my mother’s MO (modus operandi). And there was Aunt Eve, legendary in the family for poaching all the Sweet and Low from any restaurant table. 

There are those who think they are entitled and here are two stories of diplomacy at work. 

David Derewicz explains a situation while he was General Manager at The Prime Rib Baltimore. A server mentioned to me that he witnessed his guests, a lovely couple by the way, quietly placing a table lamp in the wife's purse. The table lamps happen to be silver plated, very ornate, and replacement cost was close to $300 each. The server waited for further instructions! I privately instructed the server to say nothing, and to continue to see to it that the guests thoroughly enjoyed their evening. 

The guest upon reviewing his bill called me to the table and said there must be an error on his bill, there was a $300 additional charge on his bill. I leaned over and discreetly whispered in the gentlemen's ear so no one else could hear, ‘No mistake with the addition sir, if your wife cares to remove the table lamp from her purse, I will gladly remove the $300 charge from the bill.’ Well of course the rest of the story is the lamp reappeared onto the table and we quickly adjusted the bill. The key to this is, you make no scene, no undue attention, and although the women did blush, we did our best to respect the guest even though the next time we will count the silverware too! Service with a smile! For my Baltimore readers, the ever poised David Derewicz is currently signed on with another Baltimore landmark restaurant group to be announced soon. 

Dean Gold, Dino Restaurant in Washington D.C. addressed a similar situation. “We have had several sets of salt and pepper grinders stolen. They are 8" and 9" tall respectively. One time a well dressed couple was spotted with the woman putting the grinders in her purse. The waiter asked me what to do and I said to charge for the grinders {we sold them for $140 a set} on the bill. The couple got the check and did not bat an eyelash or say a word when they saw the $140. In fact, they tipped on the full amount of the check. They were excellent tippers by the way, a full 25%!” 

Zena Polin of The Daily Dish restaurant and catering in Silver Spring, Maryland is known for telling the funniest stories about owning a restaurant and catering business.You can make your own more powerful outdoor solar lighting using LEDs. Zena shared a couple of stories but I like this one the best. 

“There is the salt and pepper guy. He came in one day and rushed to our front table. He immediately turned around and left. Two guests said, ‘That guy just stole your salt and pepper shakers.’ Because I had just been going crazy wondering where my shakers had been disappearing to, I ran outside. I confronted the guy and demanded, ‘Give them to me.’ He reached in his pocket and did.You've determined that a solar photovoltaic system is the right choice for you. The guy continues to come in regularly at Happy Hour. My staff all know it is him, so we kind of line up the salt and pepper shakers around him like little soldiers for a bit of a tease.” On a footnote to another one of Zena’s stories, she is trying to figure out how someone walked out with a high chair.