Got shorted $30 at the diner because I paid cash and the register was down

Elliot Miller · 2026-09-25T08:10:03.825117+00:00

So this happened Wednesday at the diner near my place in Cincinnati and it's still bugging me. My bill came to $18.50, I handed the waitress a $50 bill, and she comes back saying the register died and she can't make change till the manager reboots it. Fine, whatever, I wait 15 minutes. She finally brings me $11.50. I tell her that's not right, she owes me $31.50 back. She swears I gave her a $30, not a $50, and there's no way to check because the drawer doesn't sort anything and the register was down so no receipt printed. I asked to talk to the manager and he basically shrugged and said it's my word against hers without a paper trail. I've been cash-only for almost two years now and honestly this is the first time it's bitten me like this. Now I'm second guessing whether I should start snapping a photo of the bill before I hand it over or just count the change out loud at the table. Has anybody else run into the no-receipt cash dispute thing, and did you actually get it fixed?

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Got shorted $30 at the diner because I paid cash and the register was down | Cash Only Life - Free To Speak