Was it ever actually common practice for restaurants to make customers wash dishes if they couldn't pay their bill?

by Schaafwond

I've often seen the cliché of restaurant customers having to wash dishes if they can't pay their bill, mostly in comic books and such. From what I found restaurants don't really do this (nowadays at least), but I assume the idea has to come from somewhere.

So my question: was this actually a common solution in the past for customers to work off their bill?

FurryMenace

Having read a few books on the history of catering, I am sorry to say that I have never come across anything like this. Also, the nature of professional kitchens makes this not as great a solution as it may seem, washing dishes in a restaurant or hotel is not the same as washing dishes at home!