Lobster Tales

Submitted Nov. 25, 1996
Peter H.
From Queensland, Australia

• I have managed many restaurants and have become fond of the seafood type. For one reason; I was working a Saturday night and had about three hundred people booked in. The restaurant seated two hundred and twenty. At 7.30, a very large lady came in the door with two equally large friends. They had no booking.
  

  Right away the started to complain that they had to wait, and in very loud voices. I decided to get them in at the worst seat, and as soon as possible.
  

  All the way through the meal they called me over to complain that this was not right, that that was terrible, and so on and so on. Finally, after two hours of having them in the restaurant I gladly said goodnight to them and started to show them to the door.
  

  Not only had they not left a tip but had complained that the bill was incorrect.
  

  When they were standing at the front door of the restaurant.....It happened. The waiter that had been looking after them came down to get a lobster out of the live lobster tank. I could see that he was up to something. As he lifted it out of the water, he flung it in to the air right above the ladies. The lobster fell directly onto the largest ladies head and then landed on her shoulder. She throw her arms up in terror which sent the lobster on to the next ladies shoulder.
  

  They were horrified. Anyway, the last lady calmly picked up the lobster and put it in her handbag and said that she was taking it home due to the hassles that they had encountered. They started to make their way to the door.
  

  Now for the revenge. In Australia a guest can not leave the restaurant without paying for any meal, even if they did not like it. So I let them walk out the door.And then called the Police.
  

  They were only a block down the road so they arrived quickly and I'll tell you, it took four police officers to get them in to the cars.
  

  They were fined $AUD4500.00 and were instructed to never go back to our restaurant.
  

  God, did the staff cheer when those ladies were taken away.