My in-laws always ditch the bill at restaurants \u2014 pretending to forget their wallets. One night, they invited my mom to a fancy dinner, expecting the same trick. But she out-smarted them.<\/p>\n
They ordered expensive dishes and wine, then vanished when it was time to pay, leaving a $1500 bill. My mom stayed calm \u2014 had a simple meal \u2014 then ordered a decadent dessert and asked for the manager.<\/p>\n
Turns out she knew him from her teaching days. He called the in-laws: pay or face charges for dine-and-dash \u2014 on speakerphone with her listening. They scrambled back, paid the bill plus a penalty.<\/p>\n
Now, whenever they dine together, my mother-in-law announces upfront: \u201cWe pay separately tonight.\u201d Their cheap trick finally backfired.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"