Waiter Dives on Moving Car to Stop Dine and Dash
True story: within minutes of the start of my first day as a waiter, another waitress received a small tip in all small change from a couple that had been sitting at the table for hours. She chased the couple out to the parking lot, threw the change at them, stormed back inside, threw her apron on the bar and walked out. I was stunned.
But that has nothing on what happened at a Chicago Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant this week. A Buffalo Wild Wings waiter named Peter Crotty chased after a "dine and dash" customer and jumped on to the customers SUV. The customer and his friends had tried to skip out on a $51 bill. 24-year-old Crotty grabbed onto the roof and planted his feet on the running board, the Chicago Tribune reports.
It didn't end there. The car drove off, allegedly running through a red light while the passengers tried to punch Crotty. The car eventually pulled over and the Buffalo Wild Wings waiter jumped off, thinking they were going to fight him. However, the SUV quickly sped away. Crotty called 911 and the police caught up to the SUV soon thereafter.
The driver, 18, was charged with battery, theft and reckless driving, while the passengers were charged with battery and theft. "I just think if you see something wrong you should step in ... Nowadays no one wants to step in," Peter told the Chicago Tribune.
Police said in the future, if someone does a dine and dash, it would be a better idea for Crotty to skip the heroics and call 911 immediately. The article didn't mention whether Buffalo Wild Wings supported Crotty's actions.
Typically businesses do not support employees taking steps to chase or detain customers, even when the customers have clearly broken the law. It is considered too big of a risk of liability. Considering that Crotty rode through a red light on top of a SUV, that concern seems more than justified.
Related Resources:
- Waiter Thwarts Dine And Dashers By Leaping Onto Their Speeding Car (Consumerist)
- Assault and Battery (FindLaw)
- Elements of Assault (FindLaw)