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Tired of waiting, man makes own food at empty S.C. Waffle House

"Got hot on the grill with a double Texas bacon cheesesteak melt with extra pickles. When I was done, I cleaned the grill, collected my ill-gotten sandwich and rolled out."

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- A man who couldn't find a server or cook at a South Carolina Waffle House decided he could just make the food himself. What made this story unusual is that he didn't go home to do it.

According to NBC affiliate WIS, Alex Bowen said he went to the West Columbia 24-hour restaurant to grab a bite when he couldn't sleep.

But after waiting 10 minutes at the counter, going outside to look for an employee and coming back in for a few more minutes, he decided to take matters into his own hands.

His Facebook posts seem to tell the rest of the story, showing him cooking up a storm behind the counter at the Waffle House - which appeared to be completely empty.

It turned out there was at least one person there, an employee he said was asleep in a corner booth that he hadn't noticed - and who hadn't noticed him.

"Got hot on the grill with a double Texas bacon cheesesteak melt with extra pickles," he told WIS. "When I was done, I cleaned the grill, collected my ill-gotten sandwich and rolled out."

Bowen said he went back to check the establishment at another time and to find out if there were any more sleepy workers. He also paid an employee $5 for the homemade sandwich on Thursday afternoon.

Waffle House has since responded to requests from WIS adding that the division manager had spoken with Bowen. They also caution against going behind the counter for safety reasons - while adding that a customer really shouldn't ever have to do it in the first place.

As for the worker, a spokesperson said they were suspended for a week.

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