Paying Your Bill At Restaurants

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON THE SECOND EDITION OF "THE BEAU ZONE" ON THE HARD ROCK HEROES WEBSITE FROM JUNE TO SEPTEMBER 2004.

Why is it like pulling teeth trying to pay your bill at most restaurants?

Once your meal is served, the server comes back right away to ask how your meal is, and that's the last you ever see of them.

Once you're close to finishing eating, they're never around to ask them for the check. You have to walk around the restaurant to find them, or ask one of the other servers.

Then as you've finished your meal and are waiting for the check, you finally get it. But you have to pay the server, too. And you better have it understood clearly by the server in advance that you're going to pay right then and there once you receive the check, or the server will just quickly take off and leave you waiting AGAIN to pay him or her.

One time at the old Grapes Pembina location, I had already made it clear to the server that I could pay my bill right when he gave me the bill, but sure enough, he gives me the bill and starts to walk away. I'm calling after him, "Stop! Don't run away! I can pay right now!" But he just looked at me with a scared look on his face as he ran away from me.

For God's sake, if these people are too busy serving other customers to take my payment, then why don't all restaurants install a cashier like Perkins does, so I only have to wait for my bill, and once I get my bill, the waiting is done and I can simply take my bill up to the cashier to pay it?

Or maybe if these people don't want my money, maybe I'll just start leaving the restaurant without paying anybody. It sure seems like they'll never notice.

Your thoughts?