She made her bladder gladder, but her wallet sadder.

A Tennessee woman who ran into a restaurant to use the bathroom before running back out got a bill from the eatery for answering the call of nature without ordering anything.

Back in October, Patricia Barnes zipped into The Flood Zone in Erin, Tennessee and asked an employee if she could use the restroom. Barnes got the okay, did her business and then left. A few days later, she received a bill for $5 in the mail, along with a letter from the restaurant (addressed to Mrs. Edwards -- that's her husband's last name) saying there’s a sign hanging up informing people there’s a $5 charge for non-customers using the restroom.

Letter
loading...
Patricia Barnes

Barnes drove back to The Flood Zone, but they wouldn’t take her money. She also sent a money order, but that, too, wound up back in her mailbox. The restaurant claims they were merely trying to make a point.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, how did the restaurant’s management track Barnes down? It seems someone jotted down her license plate number and called the sheriff, who helped them out, which just goes to show there's a fine line between peeing and paying.

More From WFNT