My wife, Rachel, and I went out for dinner to celebrate our anniversary.
The evening was going perfectly until the bill arrived.
I handed our waitress, Nicole, my card. A minute later, she returned and dropped it onto the table.
“Declined,” she said loudly. “Maybe don’t bring your wife somewhere this expensive if you can’t pay.”
People nearby turned to look.
I was stunned.
Rachel looked embarrassed, but Nicole kept going.
“You’d better hope she has money.”
I quietly pulled out another card.
Nicole smirked.
“If this one fails too, I’m calling security.”
The second card worked immediately.
She tossed down the receipt and walked away.
What Nicole didn’t know was that I had spent the previous month consulting for the restaurant’s ownership group.
The general manager, Paul, recognized me as he walked through the dining room.
He came over to say hello, noticed our expressions, and asked what happened.
I told him exactly what Nicole had said.
His face changed.
He called her over and asked her to explain herself.
Suddenly, the attitude disappeared.
Nicole apologized and claimed she had been having a stressful night.
I didn’t demand that she be fired.
I simply told Paul that no customer should be humiliated over a payment problem.
My first card had been blocked because of a security alert.
But that wasn’t really the point.
Whether someone has ten dollars or ten million, basic dignity shouldn’t depend on what happens when their card gets swiped.
