Some Things Never Change...

In May of this year our family tried a new restaurant during our vacation. We were amazed at the discounted prices and the quality of the food.

Then when we went to settle up with the cashier things took an interesting turn. The lady appeared to confuse her counting when figuring up my change from a $100 bill. After a couple of failed counting attempts she declared she didn't have enough small bills to give me what I was owed. She then petitioned a nearby waitress to make up the difference. The waitress gave her the amount she requested and then the cashier handed me an insufficient amount of money while saying she had already given me $20 at the start of her counting attempts. I told her she hadn't. She insisted that she had. So, with a busy restaurant, two wild kids and a full belly I thought maybe I actually was the one confused. I took her word for it and headed to the car. Once there I then realized a $20 cash deposit at the time of reservation had not been applied to my bill. I counted my money and was amazed to find that in fact I was missing not just $20, but $40!

Now here's where it gets interesting... Yesterday, we went back to this restaurant on our way to Virginia and amazingly the exact--I mean exact--same scenario unfolded with the same cashier, only with different numbers!!!

I had hoped the first time was an innocent mistake in a busy restaurant. However, I am now forever convinced it is an ingenious scam: play dumb, deflect attention, challenge your victim's memory and then stick it to them...

I will not name the restaurant for obvious reasons but I would advise you to be careful with your money in Sevierville, TN when eating at restaurants that specialize in BBQ and Southern Gospel music... ;)