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Written by Rabbi Eli Mansour:
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Q: Can an employee of an business offer a customer benefits without permsion from the owner?
Rabbi Eli Mansour: If a waiter brings an extra portion of food as a friendly gesture to a guest in the restaurant, it is forbidden for the guest to partake of that portion, unless the restaurant's owner had authorized the gift. Since the waiter is merely an employee, and does not own the food in the restaurant, he is not legally entitled to distribute the food in a manner that has not been sanctioned by the restaurant's owner. Eating the extra portion of food may therefore constitute Gezel (theft). Similarly, if a bus driver invites a passenger to ride free of charge, the passenger must insist on paying. Here, too, the driver works as an employee and does not own the bus; he is therefore not authorized to offer free rides without the knowledge of the company's owner. |
Kenisas 
