My wealthy in-laws have been “forgetting” their wallets at restaurants for years, always slipping away when the bill comes. When they invited my mom to a fancy dinner for her 60th birthday, they expected her to fall into their trap—this time, they were wrong.
They ordered lavishly: gold-flake wagyu, rare wines, extravagant appetizers. As expected, they all made excuses and left when the check arrived—except my mom. She calmly ordered dessert, then asked for the manager, Robbie—an old student of hers who now runs the place.
Robbie put the in-laws on speaker and gently told them they’d left without paying. Caught, they returned and covered the bill, plus a 25% “collection fee”—totaling just over €2,000. My mom quipped that “some people only learn when there are consequences.” Now, at every family meal, my mother-in-law begins with: “Tonight, everyone pays separately.”