"a young waitress approached"

Commerce Miranda Starke received some "entertaining" customer service in a local restaurant in Adelaide. Unluckily for them she writes for the local media:

"As far as restaurants go, Marquis is a bit swanky; the sort of place you expect a top menu and attentive staff.

But after waiting an age for table service, my dad finally got up and ordered with a waiter at the bar.

We had just settled back at the table when a young waitress approached. "If you don't want to pay now then I need to take your credit card," she told Dad. "It's in case you leave without paying," she added."

... and events proceed from there as you might expect. Is that normal? What if, as is the case here, a person doesn't have a credit card?

Updated 6/11/2011  I Asked Metafilter.  The answers were yes, no and maybe.  Depends.