Local Residents Claim Unauthorized Tip Added at Chillicothe Restaurant, Staff Allegedly Claimed Not to Speak English When Confronted

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A social media post shared in a local Southern Ohio community group has drawn attention after a Chillicothe resident described what they called poor service followed by an unauthorized tip charge at Los Mariachis at Central Center.

According to the post, the resident and their spouse dined at the restaurant and ordered two meals to go for their children. They alleged the waitress provided inadequate service, including failing to refill drinks and bringing only one of the two takeout meals after the order was placed, requiring an additional wait of about 30 minutes for the second meal. The bill came to roughly $83. The resident stated they left no tip due to the service issues.

The post claimed that the next day an email notification arrived showing a $10 tip had been added to the card. Calls to the restaurant allegedly reached the same server, who the poster said acted as if she did not understand the complaint and hung up repeatedly. Contact was then made with another Los Mariachis location on Bridge Street, which the poster said indicated it would look into the matter. After no further response, the resident contacted Chillicothe police.

The post described meeting an officer at the restaurant, showing the bank statement and email notification, and the officer speaking with staff inside. The original server allegedly spoke English with the officer until asked about the receipt, at which point she claimed not to speak English. The post stated the officer waited for a manager, who then provided $10 in cash from the drawer. The resident said they accepted the cash but chose not to remain silent about the experience, emphasizing that the issue was one of principle rather than the amount involved and urging others to check their statements.

Photos accompanying the post showed a Chillicothe police vehicle in the parking lot and the exterior of the Central Center location.

In the comments section of the post, several other local residents described similar experiences. One commenter wrote that tipping is not an entitlement and that unauthorized charges after a customer leaves constitute fraud. Another stated that unauthorized transactions on a card after a customer has left an establishment amount to fraud and suggested the matter may warrant further police attention based on multiple reports in the thread. Additional comments referenced prior instances of extra items or increased tip amounts appearing on checks or cards at the same business, with some saying they now pay only in cash there. One commenter described a similar situation at a different location in which an additional amount was allegedly added to a tip they had already left, and said staff laughed when contacted. Other remarks called for contacting the Ohio Attorney General’s consumer protection division or monitoring statements closely. Some commenters questioned the Better Business Bureau’s usefulness in such matters and recommended official consumer complaint channels instead.

No comments visible in the circulating post material defended the restaurant’s handling of the specific claim.

Hopewell Heritage Headlines is requesting additional information related to this incident. Any verified updates will be shared as they become available. Residents are reminded that social media accounts represent individual statements and have not been independently confirmed through official records at this time.

Send a tip or correction to info@heritageheadlines.com.

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