Redefining "self-serve"
A would-be patron of a Waffle House in South Carolina wasn’t exactly attending choir practice before he staggered into the unit at 3 a.m., a walking indictment of some bar’s responsible-service training. Alex Bowen admitted to anyone who’d listen that he was drunk. But, he stressed afterward, he was also craving a Waffle House double bacon cheesesteak.
So when Bowen couldn’t find anyone in the Waffle House to cook it for him—the lone employee at that hour was fast asleep—he stepped behind the counter and whipped up the sandwich himself.
To ensure the transgression would not go unnoticed, he also took a number of photos as he devoured the 24-hour chain’s specialty and posted them on Facebook.
Then he cleaned up the kitchen and left, the employee still in the land of nod.
Bowen saw no reason to be abashed about what he’d done. He came back to the restaurant the next day to pay the manager for the cheesesteak. And he ended with an offer to work for the chain—presumably as a cook. There was no confirmation that he’ll replace the employee who nodded off.