A Lexus driver has been shamed for passing a fake $1,000 bill to pay for a $40 meal at a mom-and-pop restaurant.
The SUV driver passed the fake ‘ancestor money’ to a cashier at Michael’s Bar and Grill in Manchester, Missouri, on Tuesday after ordering a burger and multiple sides.
Kristina Moriarty who works at the restaurant said the man asked his server for change of a $100 bill, and as she went to get the cash he disappeared.
The man left behind a counterfeit $1,000 bill, labeled as ancestor money which in Chinese culture is burned to provide spirits with money for goods in the afterlife.
While it physically resembles a real American bill, it is not legal tender.
To expose those who continue to walk out without paying, the restaurant had resorted to name and shaming people on their social media.
Moriarty told FirstAlert4: ‘Unfortunately, it’s happened quite a few times lately’, adding that the restaurant has had to invest in updated security measures.
‘We have cameras everywhere. We have license plate readers, we have facial recognition that we had to invest in because unfortunately these things keep happening to small businesses around here’, she added.
The man left the fake note with his server while asking for change, before he made a quick exit
The restaurant, seen here, is waging war on those who choose to leave without paying – by airing their faces on social media
Dawn Lamb, a bartender at the establishment for 32-years, added: ‘We work for our tips, and this affects us. The profit margins are too small for this to keep happening.
‘If you do this, we are going to expose you, and we’re going to make it aware. So we again can prevent this from happening.’
The man who fled and left behind the fake bill apparently saw his picture online and returned to pay his bill and apologized, the restaurant said.
It is unclear whether being publicly shamed prompted his act of contrition.
Michael’s suffered a similar incident in March, but the diner again returned to pay up after being shamed with surveillance footage shared online.
In March a similar post had been made by the restaurant, calling out a man who fled – again they returned to pay the bill after being informed their picture was on Facebook.
According to the restaurant, the man returned but argued with staff that he had left money on the table and that it had been stolen.
They informed him that a review of their surveillance cameras showed no money being left except his ‘dart for the door’.
The Daily Mail contacted the restaurant for further comment on the spate of issues.
The counterfeit bill is seen here, the green band that covers a corner of it states it is ‘ancestor money’
The man who fled seemingly saw his picture online and returned to pay his bill and apologized
According to the Missouri Restaurant Association, restaurants that had experienced similar types of theft should place a host or hostess near the door.
Other measures included requiring pre-authorization of credit or debit cards and implementing tableside payment which is common in chain restaurants.
In the state, the theft of services comes under a broader stealing statute, with penalties varying based on the value of the service stolen.
Services stolen under a value of $150 come under a Class D misdemeanor, it rises to a felony after the worth exceeds $25,000.
