OAKLAND PARK, Fla. — Employees at a diner in Oakland Park say they are dealing with a man who dined and dashed.

From the start, server Carlos Ortiz said he knew something was off with his customer at the Peter Pan Diner, located at 1216 E Oakland Park Blvd.

“He walked in, ordered a beer and then he ordered jalapeño bites, but before he ordered, it was just like a really weird interaction,” said Ortiz. “He didn’t know how to say what he wanted.”

After racking up a $50 bill at 11 a.m. on Monday, the man disappeared.

“I thought he left and I was just like is he still here?” said Ortiz. “I was just trying to see if anyone saw him. He came out of the bathroom wearing something different so I was like okay cool, he might be going to work or whatever.”

Ortiz says he saw the man go to the counter and figured he was ready to settle up and be on his way.

Instead, the man tried to pay for a $3 cookie, but his card was declined.

“And after it declined, he just walked out,” said Ortiz.

Ortiz has worked at the diner for over a year and said he thought he had seen it all.

“He just made it seem like we were dumb and just walked out as if he just didn’t order $50 worth of food,” he said.

The restaurant even has a wall of shame for those who have dined and dashed in the past.

The newest addition, with that unpaid tab stapled to his picture, is this latest suspect.

“We have people that will come in and make up for it, so I can’t be too down on it, but it shouldn’t be that way when we’re relying on other people to pay your tips,” said Ortiz.

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