Waffle House review: Management

My father in law walked from the beach fishing on or around 7/5/2021. He stopped in the waffle house located on hwy 49 Gulfport, Ms between 88 lumber and hoods. Upon entering the store, directly inside the store he sits down an Abu Garcia Silvermax rod and bait casting reel. When finished, he left the fishing reel, a pole where he sits it down. After realizing it he returned to get it and the employee working told him a man asked who the pole belonged to and management replied I don't know, you can have it. Less than an hour before, we returned for the fishing reel. I think the manager was out of line and out right wrong for not holding the $100 value fishing reel until the owner returned for it, instead of just taking it upon themselves to give permission to a customer to take something that didn't belong to any of them. Since the employee let it be known the reel was there and the management knew it also and made the choice to gift a fishing rod to whomsoever of their choice, it should be replaced instead of not knowing anything was left there and having no control.