Where Is the Missing Dollar? A Classic Math Riddle

Remember the puzzle about 2 equaling 1? Some people felt it had too much math, so here's one that's easier to understand (and cooler, too), although it might not be easier to solve.

Your job is to find out what happened to the missing dollar. The story goes something like this:

Three old ladies went to a restaurant and ordered food for $30. They decided to split the bill, paying $10 each. The waiter took the money and was later told by the cashier that the food cost $25, not $30, so the cashier gave him $5 to return to the ladies. The waiter realized he couldn't divide the $5 equally between the three ladies, so he decided to keep $2 himself and give them $1 each (which makes $5).

So each lady paid $10 and got $1 back, which means each lady paid $9. 9 × 3 = 27, and the waiter kept $2. 27 + 2 = 29. Where did the last dollar go?

The answer (spoiler)

There is no missing dollar. The trick is in adding the waiter's $2 to the $27. The ladies paid $27 in total: $25 went to the restaurant and $2 went to the waiter. The $2 is part of the $27, so it should be subtracted, not added. Add the $3 the ladies got back, and you're at $30.