Police Pass the Plates to Benefit Charities

The regular servers at Red Lobster in West Hills were lucky to have some extra hands during the lunch rush Wednesday, but then it was those helping hands that brought an extra large crowd to the restaurant in the first place.

About 50 off-duty Los Angeles police officers from the West Valley station helped take orders, serve food and chat with customers at the Valley’s third annual “Tip a Cop Day,” which benefits the Special Olympics and the Law Enforcement Torch Run Organization.

Last year, the officers raised $3,600 for the charities, the largest amount for one restaurant in the country. This year, they were going for $10,000, and many were sure they’d reach the goal.

“This does something great for us personally,” said Sgt. Dan Mastro, coordinator of the event. “A lot of the officers have never done anything like this before in their lives, and this gives the public a look at our human sides. We laugh, we joke, we spill water.”

The national event is sponsored by Red Lobster restaurants, and the Special Olympics is the pet charity of the chain, said restaurant general manager Keith Birch.

“This is not a group that people are rushing to help,” he said of the disabled athletes in the Games.

Many of the officers had never earned a living waiting tables or were a bit rusty if they had. They did their tasks slowly and deliberately, balancing trays, dirty dishes and utensils, holding them with one hand while navigating the crowded dining room.

Many of the diners said they came for the novelty of being served by an officer.

“We kind of thought it would be funny to see them being waiters,” said Sheila Faggiano, who ate with three co-workers from a nearby mortgage firm.

“He’s actually quite good,” she said of their waiter, Officer T.W. Lewis.

Lewis, who received high marks from most of those he served, said, “It’s harder than it looks, sitting at the table as a patron, but it’s not as hard as I thought it would be when I walked in here this morning.”