Please help me find a Dilbert cartoon

Cafe Society
#1

I want to use a particular Dilbert cartoon I read years ago to demonstrate something to some folks, but I can’t track it down. I am turning to the awesome collective recall of the Dope to help me out!

Here’s what I remember about it–it’s just the gist, but if you know the comic it should help:

I think it’s a Sunday strip (though I could be wrong–it might be a multi-day arc). Dilbert is trying to get his coworkers together to go to lunch, but is having trouble getting them all there at the same time. A few gather, one goes off to use the bathroom (or whatever) which prompts two more to go check their email “quickly.” The bathroom one comes back, but leaves again when he sees the emailers missing. People keep filtering in and out, making excuses for just being gone a couple of minutes because others are gone. I don’t remember how it ends, but that’s not really the important part.

I’m pretty sure this cartoon is several years old–it’s definitely not recent, like in the last 3 or 4 years. I’m going to guess it’s at least 7 or 8 years old, maybe older.

Thanks in advance for your help!

#2

Scanned them back to 2004 and didn’t see an obvious candidate but here are all of teh Dilbert strips that contain the word “lunch” (you can search strips by keywords at his site):

#3

I recognise this one. I think the key line is “why can’t we do this simple thing?” I’ll have a play with the search…

#4

Here you go.

What do I win?

#5

My heartfelt thanks and admiration! :smiley:

I knew the Dope would come through. You guys rock!

#6

Great OP and solution.

Just what I expect from the Dope.

#7

Heh. “Tell her it’s the one with the food.” Classic.

#8

Thanks for the thread. I’ve always wanted a certain cartoon I read years ago to start my powerpoint presentations with. Now I’ve had the inspiration to find it.

I love this one.

#9

Wow, that IS an old one. Wally was actually working!

#10

It’s Wallys all the way down, man!

#11

My favorite Dilbert. I just love Dogbert’s reaction in the second panel.

#12

Infovore, I remember that one well. The situation that the strip mocks is the reason I’ve sort of given up on lunching with co-workers. It takes an act of God to get more than two people out the door in a timely manner, seemingly.

#13

One time I was almost out the door with my friends (a bunch of poor grad students) on the way to supper when one guy said (in all seriousness), “Wait a second – I need to call my stockbroker” to the disgust of all assembled. From then on, that was a running joke whenever something was about to start: “Hold on, I need to call my stockbroker first.”

#14

Heehee. Glad my OP inspired some other folks to go back and rediscover their favorite Dilberts. I don’t read it much anymore (not because I don’t still like it–just gotten out of the habit) but I used to follow it every day back when it was newer.

If anybody’s at all curious about why I wanted the comic I requested–I’m a WoW raid leader, and I was trying to humorously show my team why it’s annoying when they keep “serial AFKing” during a raid. It just seemed apropos. :smiley:

Thanks again!

#15

A recent one on going to lunch with co-workers.

http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2011-01-02/

#16

Jim Davis traded an original Garfield strip for the original of this Dilbert

#17

I like that search engine. If helped me find this one, which I’ve been wanting to put on the coffee machine at work.