Something rather bizarre just happened. Having been on GMTV in the Southbank and finishing at 9:20, rather than going back to MSE Towers in Shepherds Bush only to have to return to central London for Radio 2 at 1:00, I decided to take my laptop and find a nice place work and have a treat; an Eggs Royal breakfast with fruit juice and coffee.
Yet when I paid I noticed they’d made a mistake; my breakfast should’ve cost £7.00 but it was free. I told the waitress who, after disappearing for a moment, came back and said “the manager wanted to give you a free breakfast as he watches you on the TV and you’re a celebrity!”
Now, while this is a lovely thing to do I felt quite guilty; I have a very good income and I’m on the telly (though wouldn’t class myself as a celeb), so in some ways giving me the freebie because of my media profile is counter-logical as I can afford to pay. Yet they were so generous I decided it’d be churlish to argue.
Still, when I left the little Jiminy Cricket in the back of my head made me feel guilty, so I dropped the £7 into the lap of a homeless chap nearby to square the circle.
Addendum. And for those who asked in the forum, yes i did also give the waitress a generous tip… and as I was leaving the manager did actually clarify that it was due to saving him money as well as being on the telly.
