Pay the Cashier

In the lean streets of a nondescript small town, Paul (Roy Brooks) exists as a man whose ambition is dwarfed only by his hunger. Penniless and desperate, he infiltrates 'A-La-Cafeteria,' a temple of self-service that offers the perfect cover for a serial sampler. His methodology is as brazen as it is meticulous: he tastes nearly every dish on the line before the proprietor (Mark Jones) realizes the 'tasting' has become a feast. Forced into labor to pay his debt, Paul doesn't just wash dishes; he attempts to disrupt the entire food service industry. He convinces the owner to install a 'Lunch Basket Order' system—a locked-down automated delivery mechanism designed to prevent theft. The irony is total when a fire alarm triggers a mass exodus, turning his anti-theft invention into a convenient carry-out container for every fleeing customer. The film concludes not with a laugh, but with Paul staring down the barrels of the proprietor’s dual revolvers, a stark reminder that in the 1920s, comedy often shared a border with tragedy.