This morning's Diary by Troubador about the 1% A$$Hole who left a 1% Tip for Breanna reminded me of a time many years ago. I had finished my time in the service and was working as a carpenter, making pretty good wages for '70's. I had long-hair, a beard as was the fashion for the day.
I stopped in a West Texas town and went into a greasy spoon restaurant to have dinner. The waitress was thoroughly disgusted that a long-haired, bearded hippie would have the audacity to come into a nice little diner and expect her to wait on him!
I ordered a Chicken Fried Steak and Iced Tea and leisurely enjoyed my dinner. After a while, I asked the waitress if I might have a refill on the iced tea. This was back in the day when refills were a matter of course and it was actually unusual to have to ask for one. The waitress was noticeably upset that she was going to have to provide any further service to this long-haired freak.
It was dinner time and I was through with my work for the evening. I was staying in a local motel and really had no further plans for the evening, so I thought I would have a little more fun. After I finished my dinner, I asked the waitress if she had anything for dessert. I then ordered a piece of pie with a cup of coffee.
The total bill for the chicken fried steak, iced tea, pie and coffee was less than $5.00. Oh,those were the days!
When the waitress brought the bill, I had a moment to think about leaving a tip. The service was really terrible. The waitress had not said one pleasant word during the entire dinner. I thought about leaving a dime or a quarter, but decided that would only reinforce every image that she already had.
I took a $20 Bill from my wallet and left it under the plate.
I went to the counter, paid my ticket with a smile, and left. I never returned to the restaurant, but I always wondered what the waitress thought about that long-haired hippie that she hated to serve that evening!