Sometimes, crazy situations happen, and they’re so absurd, it’s hard to believe they actually happened.

In this reverse Karen story, the manager was the one who wouldn’t let the customer pay, since the picture on his credit card (??) looked different from his current appearance.

The cops got involved.

Let’s see how things panned out.

We are all malicious compliancers on this blessed day

A guy I know (we both work in emergency services/public safety) was at a restaurant with his family.

He racked up a $100 plus bill.

Waitress brings the bill, he puts his credit card in the receipt thing, hands it to her.

She comes back a few minutes later, tells him she can’t charge the meal to that card because he doesn’t look like the picture on the credit card.

Well, that’s true, he had lost 150 pounds in the preceding 2 years.

Things were about to get awkward.

“Oh, that’s me, I used to be fat…”

“I’m sorry sir, you don’t look like the picture, my manager won’t let me run the card.”

“Well, I don’t carry that much cash, and that’s my only credit card, so what do you wanna do?”

“I don’t know sir, but I can’t charge this card if you don’t match the picture. ”

“Well, kids, you heard the lady… FREE MEAL!”

But of course they wouldn’t just let them get a free meal like that.

Manager comes out.

“Sir, you’re going to have to find another way to pay for the check.”

“There isn’t another way. I gave you my card, you refused to charge it, so it’s your problem now.”

“Well, if you leave, I’ll have to call the police.”

tEn MiNuTeS lAtEr

Things got serious and that only made the whole situation more comical.

Cop: “Oh hey Josh, what’s up?”

(Remember that Josh works public safety, he personally knows all the local cops.)

Josh: “They won’t take my card because it has my fat picture on it.”

Cop, trying VERY HARD not to laugh: “Uh, yes ma’am, I can vouch for him, he is the same person as that extremely fat picture on the card.”

Manager: “I can’t charge the card if the picture doesn’t match.”

Not even a cop was able to convince them.

Cop: “So he’s tried to pay, and I’ve confirmed he is who he says he is, and that picture on the card is him, and you won’t run the card?”

Manager: “I’m not allowed to, no.”

Cop: “Well, Josh, you heard the lady, FREE MEAL!”

Problem solved.

Josh and the cop then proceeded to stand in the parking lot for another 20 minutes laughing and talking, while the manager glared out the door from behind the hostess stand.

(Josh’s wife and kids (teenagers by the way) had long since walked to Target across the parking lot.)

And there’s a prologue.

I often would ask him if he had been back to that restaurant, he said he got a new card recently (with no picture at all) and he did go back, just he and his wife.

Different waitress, never saw the manager, ate, paid, left.

It was a Longhorn Steakhouse, if you were wondering.

This sounds like a scene from The Office or Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Let’s see what Redditors are saying about this.

A reader shares their opinion.

He deserves a free meal!

That was absurd.

Someone shares a similar experience.

Another reader chimes in.

This person has a different take.

He and the cop were probably planning to send the idea to SNL.

Refusing to let a customer pay AND ignoring a cop really was the choice they went with. Wow.

If you liked that post, check out this story about a customer who insists that their credit card works, and finds out that isn’t the case.