Sadly, The Pen Is Not Mightier Than The Customer

I’m serving a table with two little old ladies. I brought two pens with me today, but of course, they are long gone by now. (Don’t steal pens from waiters! Most restaurants don’t provide them!)

I drop the check.

Me: “I’m sorry, I seem to have lost my pen. Let me go find one for you.”

Customer: “It’s fine; I have my own pen.”

About ten minutes later, the manager pulled me aside and berated me for refusing to give the lady a pen. Apparently, I told her that “we do not provide pens to customers.”

They got free meals, and I got written up. A few of my coworkers were kind enough to defend me, but I still got written up.