Not only that, if the customer walks out without paying the bill, the cost of the meal comes out of the server's own pay........
I accidentally walked out of a bar without paying my meal and bar tab one night. When I woke up the following morning and realized what I had done, I was devastated and embarrassed all day and couldn't wait to get back that evening and make it right.
The waitress was there and she said that one of the other people I was with took care of it for me........That was a big relief.
Most people don’t realize how low and tenuous a wait staffs income is. The wait staff pays the difference if you make a mistake on a bill too. Most people assume that the restaurant/bar eats the loss.