At least in my experience, nobody but the server was supposed to touch the tips left on the table (outside of maybe the busser if they get there first). Obviously you don’t want money changing hands multiple times because as shitty as it sounds, plenty of people in the restaurant world have sticky fingers. 

Maybe one day we should run a “worst of Salty” letters special?

Dear Salty,

Please part the column curtain and show us the other questions you received this week so we can marvel at how bad they were that this was the overanxious one that made it.

Love,

Larry

Our Place does gangbusters business. Like the line is out the door every day of the week. It doesn’t surprise me that a tip was still left on the table, the waitstaff is stretched pretty thin.

Take a look at what I actually wrote. I’m not ‘calling for’ anything.

Yeah, this. I’ve worked too many years in retail (primarily in a suburb) to not feel the same. Kids may logically know it’s wrong, but they have the empathy and impulse control of a gnat.

I agree. This was about shaming the parents and the crap parenting they were doing. No way they didn’t realize their little angel was up to something. Unless the kid is a complete sociopath, they were acting off the entire time.

Exactly. She wouldn’t have hidden it if she didn’t know she shouldn’t have taken it.

AND... full disclosure: I work in Funeral Home/Cemetery biz.

What’s wrong with the parents that they saw their kid playing with the tip money and didn’t tell her to put it back and leave it alone? And, why is their kid hiding money under her menu? And, why wasn’t the tip picked up before they were seated? And why in the fuck did this guy put the little girl on blast on Facebook?

The child hid the purloined bill - don’t try and tell me she didn’t know wrong from right in this case.

A story like this doesn’t have a clear hero or villain

Yeah. It’s pretty obviously a grill NEAR a tombstone, not ON it. FAKE NEWS.

And there are cultures who picnic at the graves of loved ones on those people’s birthdays and on some holidays. This isn’t really that odd. And good cemeteries are beautiful.

Nah, this seems pretty reasonable.

Kid stole a tip. Kid was caught on security camera. Security footage was posted. Parents returned tip. Video was removed.

Even if the internet is forever, people are going to forget about this after the next thing that happens.

As a society we generally don’t punish children with the same severity as adults.

“A story like this doesn’t have a clear hero or villain” / “I remember taking my kids to a diner when they were small and having to explain repeatedly that the money magically left on the table was not for them.” 

The thief was a child.

A story like this doesn’t have a clear hero or villain—much like real life. I see a number of sides here.

Nope. If I was dumb enough to try this shit when I was a kid, my mom would have beat my ass. The kid’s not gonna feel any shame from this, but the parents should and will.