Austin woman goes to ritzy bar. Then the server forgets to charge her for wine. She makes a huge mistake with her next move

An Austin woman celebrated a birthday at a ritzy restaurant. She questioned her decision after realizing she hadn't been charged for a glass of wine.

In a viral video with 3,310 views, content creator (@lalainaustin) recounted her experience and urged viewers to share their opinions. 

Did she make a mistake?

The creator explained that she took her boyfriend to the historic Driskill Grill inside Austin's luxury downtown hotel. 

The birthday celebration was uneventful until the check arrived.

Then she noticed one glass of wine wasn't included in the bill.“They left off a glass of wine that was $25,”  she stated.

Rather than accept the accidental discount, she pointed out the mistake. 

According to the woman, she assumed the server would brush off the missing charge. After all, the bill already exceeded $300.

Instead, the server added the $25 wine to her bill.

She questioned whether she should have just kept quiet.

@lalainaustin

Comments were divided

Viewers debated what diners should do when a restaurant accidentally leaves an item off the bill.

Some argued that she should have kept quiet and just left a bigger tip.

Others took the opposite view and said the safest approach is to point out billing mistakes rather than knowingly leave with something that was not paid for.

Several commenters essentially argued that doing the honest thing was worth more than saving $25.

“Always stay on the right side of karma,” was the sentiment behind many of the responses.

Does the restaurant actually lose money on an uncharged drink?

One commenter offered an explanation for why the missing glass of wine might not have been a major financial loss for the restaurant.

They claimed that restaurants price individual glasses of wine with the cost of the entire bottle in mind. Allowing the establishment to recover the bottle's purchase price and make a profit after selling the individual servings.

Under that reasoning, one missed glass might not represent a significant loss once the restaurant eventually sells the remaining wine.

How much does a glass of wine cost a restaurant?

The commenter's claim that the price for a glass of wine recoups the cost of the entire bottle may have some truth to it.

The standard markup for bottles or glasses of wine in the restaurant industry is 200-300%.

So, if a restaurant charges $25 for a glass, that does not necessarily mean the wine itself costs anywhere close to $25. In fact, the restaurant could have paid considerably less for the entire bottle.

However, restaurants also have to account for labor, rent, utilities, spoilage, breakage, and other operating expenses, while still leaving room for profit.

What happens if a server forgets to charge you?

Some viewers urged the woman to do the right thing to ensure the server didn't face any repercussions. For them, the possibility of the server facing consequences for the mistake was a real concern.

Restaurant industry guidance from Toast notes that errors such as forgotten items, comped meals, and guests walking out without paying can create costs for the restaurant.

 However, an accidental mistake does not necessarily mean the server will have to personally cover the loss. 

Federal wage rules generally restrict restaurants from deducting the cost of mistakes from an employee's pay. Especially if doing so would push the employee below the applicable minimum wage. 

Subplot News reached out to Driskill Grill and LalaInAustin via email for comment.

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