Kelly and I went to Steak ‘n Shake last night, an old
favorite we rarely visit anymore. On the wall was a photo of Herb Leonard, my
old boss. I doubt if Mr. Leonard remembered my name, but he taught me an
unforgettable lesson when he could have just as easily sent me to jail.
Mr. Leonard owned the Steak 'n Shake where I was the window
guy back in 1976. I received orders from outside and passed them on to the
grill guy and the shake guy. A couple of the carhops began asking for their
tickets back. I eventually realized that they were erasing big ticket orders
and writing in small drink orders. They would report the 89 cents and keep the
$22.
Of course, Herb Leonard caught them, and he knew the only way for the scam to work was if the window guy was in on it, so he invited me to his office. He made it clear that he could have me arrested – for the second time at Steak ‘n Shake – but he wanted my side of the story. I explained that I was aware of the situation but not involved. He asked why I didn’t say anything, and I replied that it wasn’t really any of my business.
Mr. Leonard looked at me a long time. “John,” he said, “anytime anyone steals from the man who signs your paycheck, they are stealing from you, too.”
In 35 years, I’ve not forgotten. Thanks, Herb.
You have more of a checkered past than I knew.
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Interestingly enough, I was wearing checkered pants the first time I was arrested at Steak 'n Shake. I was the only one of the eight guys in my cell wearing black Hush Puppies, black and white checked pants that didn't reach my socks, a white shirt and a black bow tie. That was an interesting 22 hours, a story for another day.
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