The first time I heard a waitress was forced to foot the bill when a customer skipped out, I thought surely this was the policy of a rogue manager.

That was in early August. After four months of interviews with servers and managers at dozens of restaurants here and around the country, I now know otherwise.

A growing number of restaurant patrons are eating meals and ducking out before paying.

That's illegal.

Waiters and waitresses assigned to their tables are getting stuck with the tab.

That's illegal, too.

As a U.S. Labor Department spokesperson put it in an e-mail response to my questions:

"It is a violation for employers to improperly require tipped employees to pay for customers who walk out without paying their bills or for incorrectly totaled bills."

I will not name any particular restaurant because my research indicates so many are violating federal law by requiring their servers to cover customers' unpaid bills. It strikes me as unfair to single out one. I will, however, give my list to the Labor Department.

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In several instances, managers told me they didn't know the practice was illegal. Occasionally, a manager argued that employees signed an agreement to cover unpaid bills. But that's an illegal contract.

Some discussions revolved around what exactly they wanted their servers to do when they suspect a customer is leaving without paying. Many said they want servers to hunt down a manager immediately, which would require them to leave behind the other tables they are supposed to be policing.

Some servers told me they occasionally have run out to parking lots to stop fleeing customers.

Bad idea.

Last year, a waitress in Columbus was paralyzed when she chased an escaping customer and he struck her with his car. In 2003, a waitress in Irving, Texas, ran out to get the license plate of a group leaving without paying a $100 tab. She died after their car hit her. The driver was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Many restaurants, including some chains, do it right. Perkins Restaurant and Bakery in Brooklyn, for example, does not require servers to cover unpaid tabs. But Manager Darin McGlothin has worked at plenty of places that do.

McGlothin has been in the restaurant industry for 22 years, and his six previous employers docked servers. He has learned how to discern which customers are more likely to be freeloaders.

"It's less common in large groups," McGlothin said. "Sometimes, it's an honest mistake. A large party will get to talking and forget who's paying, but they remember and come back. We've had that happen twice in the last three weeks. They're always so embarrassed, and quick to apologize."

Parties of two or three, he said, are more likely to scam.

"If one gets up to go to the bathroom and another leaves, they may be planning not to pay. Or if they get jumpy or agitated as bill time comes."

For those employers who plead ignorance of the law, now you know. You can immediately stop charging employees for customers' unpaid bills. You also should reimburse servers who've been illegally socked with customers' tabs.

To thwart dishonest customers, many restaurants are requiring their servers to deliver the bill soon after the meal arrives. So I implore patrons, try not to bristle when a server hands you the bill long before you've finished eating. Just pay it. You can still order dessert or another drink later.

If you are a server, please don't chase down a customer who just walked out without paying. Not ever. It is not your job, and it could be dangerous.

Finally, if you're a server whose employer is saddling you with bills that customers refuse to pay, the U.S. Department of Labor wants to hear from you. Call its help line at 1-866-487-9243.

It's a toll-free number, because when it comes to justice in the workplace, you shouldn't foot the bill.

For previous columns visit cleveland.com/schultz



UPDATE: I provided the wrong city for the Perkins mentioned in the original version of this column. It is now corrected to read Brooklyn. Thanks for reader vigilance. CS