Every once in a while, you hear a story about a customer writing something rude on a receipt when they get their checks at a restaurant. These are always met with disbelief that people could be so inconsiderate or rude to someone who is serving them.
But most people out there aren’t like that. They want to make others’ days brighter.
That was recently the case at a Tacoma, Washington, restaurant. The restaurant is part of a popular chain called Buffalo Wild Wings. It serves American-style dishes, including a wide variety of hot wings that customers love. It’s a place where people can just go in, kick back, and get something delicious to eat. It’s definitely a casual atmosphere that makes most people feel pretty comfortable.
A server named Brian Avey was working at the restaurant one day.
He went up to a table where a woman was sitting alone so he could take her order. She was at the restaurant for lunch, so she ordered a sandwich and two beers: a Blue Moon and a Corona. At first, Avey thought this was a little strange since the woman was sitting by herself. Avey informed her that, unfortunately, he wouldn’t be able to bring her two beers at once. It was just the restaurant’s policy.
But when he told her that, the woman explained her situation.
She wasn’t going to drink both of the beers herself. She had ordered the Corona in honor of her brother, who had died while fighting in Iraq. She wouldn’t even touch the second beer. She just wanted it beside her as she ate as a way to honor her brother.
Avey posted about what happened on social media. He said:
“I told her she could only do one beer at a time. She said the Corona was for her brother who died in Iraq. It just sat next [to] her at an empty seat her entire lunch. When I brought her bill, I told her Buffalo Wild Wings will be buying that beer.”
The woman who Avey served was deeply touched by the action.
Not only did the server ignore the restaurant’s policy in this very understandable case, but he even went above and beyond and decided to comp the beer so she wouldn’t have to pay for it. She could see that he was really trying to show his respect for her brother, as well.
That’s why she decided to leave a note on the receipt the server gave her.
The note read: “Thank you. An act of kindness goes a long way. It means a lot to me. Have a great rest of your day.” She even signed the message, “Grateful Soldiers.” She thought that all those who had fought alongside her brother would have been grateful for the kind of treatment she got while she was at the restaurant.
But when the woman left, Avey was left with the beer still sitting on the table. What was he going to do with it? Of course, he could just dump it down the sink and throw it out. But that just didn’t feel right to him. He wanted to continue to honor this woman’s brother.
So, instead, he left the beer in the bottle and put it on a cooler next to an American flag.
He felt that it kept the man’s memory alive.
Avey’s boss, Dan, agreed with the server. But he had one stipulation. He wanted to make sure the lime in the beer got replaced every day in remembrance of the fallen soldier.
This story just goes to show that a little bit of kindness really does go a long way.
https://www.facebook.com/brian.avey.14/posts/861900510513805:0
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