A waitress at Rocky's Taco House on San Antonio's South Side is recovering after she was punched in the nose and struck in the stomach by two customers who had just walked out on their bill, leaving her with injuries severe enough that she later discovered she was bleeding internally. The confrontation happened outside the restaurant, out of view of the security cameras that had captured the pair inside.
Confrontation Began Over an Unpaid Check
According to KSAT, a man and woman left without paying their bill at the restaurant on Pleasanton Road on September 28, and the waitress followed them outside. Rocky's head waiter, Chuy Torres, told the station the waitress was trying to gather evidence for police when the confrontation turned physical, with the woman punching her in the nose and the man hitting her in the stomach. Torres said it remains unclear whether the male suspect used brass knuckles or simply his fist during the attack.
Crime Stoppers of San Antonio lists the incident at approximately 10:27 a.m. that Monday, according to Crime Stoppers of San Antonio. The suspects then walked toward a nearby bus stop, where the waitress caught up with them and the altercation erupted.
Internal Bleeding Discovered After the Assault
Police reports indicate the waitress sought medical attention following the assault and subsequently discovered she was bleeding internally, per the KSAT report. Torres said the entire staff was shaken by what happened, adding that nobody expected an incident of this severity at the restaurant. The waitress has since returned to work, and Torres, who has worked at Rocky's for more than seven years, said the attack caught the close-knit team off guard.
Crime Stoppers says the suspects ordered food and left without paying. The suspects were caught on camera inside the restaurant, though the attack itself happened outside the frame of that footage, according to police reports.
Walkout Tab Becomes a Felony Case
What started as a routine dine-and-dash carries serious legal weight once violence enters the picture. Under Texas Penal Code Section 29.02, the robbery provision applies when a person causes bodily injury in the course of committing theft, according to FindLaw. Robbery is classified as a second-degree felony.
San Antonio police are hoping the public can help identify the two suspects, and Crime Stoppers of San Antonio has released photos showing both individuals. Tips can be submitted anonymously by calling 210-224-STOP (7867) or online, with qualifying tips eligible for cash rewards up to $5,000 through the organization's official channels.
Pattern of Violence at South Side Eateries
Another Restaurant Robbery
A Don Pedro's location was also robbed.
The episode also surfaces a broader question facing tipped restaurant workers nationwide: who absorbs the cost when a customer walks out. U.S. Department of Labor wage enforcement guidelines state that employers cannot require tipped employees to cover unpaid dine-and-dash tabs if doing so would push their earnings below the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, according to the Call The Right Attorney/Spitz blog.
For now, the waitress is back on the job at Rocky's Taco House, a longtime South Side restaurant near Southwest Military Drive. Investigators are still working to identify the man and woman seen on the restaurant's interior cameras, and anyone with information is urged to come forward through Crime Stoppers' anonymous tip channels.
