Anyone who has ever worked in the restaurant industry knows that the best kind of hospitality has heart.
And that’s exactly what a Midvale, Utah Chili’s waitress put into her encounter with a little autistic girl that ended up going viral.
Lauren Wells rushed to “fix” the broken cheeseburger the girl was served, brightening her day.
As well as the day of thousands on the internet. Anna MacLean took her little sister Ariana Hill to lunch before they went to visit the Easter bunny.
Ariana, who has autism, was super excited to visit Chili’s.
She happily told her waitress that she’ll “have my cheeseburger.” But when the burger came out, it was “broken.”
“Automatically, we cut it in half so it’s easier for the kids to eat,” Wells told KUTV 2, according to Huff Post.
Wells wasn’t about to explain to the child that her burger wasn’t broken.
Instead, she rushed to get her a brand new one that wasn’t broken.
She also made sure that the manager, Brad Cattermole, came out to apologize for the restaurant’s “mishap.”
“I was like, ‘Did we bring you a broken hamburger?’ And she (said), ‘yeah,’ and so I told her we’ve got another one coming on the way in just a second,” Cattermole said. “I offered her some French fries to munch on while she’s waiting.”
When Ariana’s new “unbroken” burger came out, she was so happy that she gave it a great big kiss.
MacLean captured the moment with a photo.
She was overjoyed to see how kindly the restaurant’s staff was treating her sister and how they accommodated her.
“Being a child with autism, she has to have certain things in a particular order at all times. One slight change in her routine can change the course of the day instantly,” MacLean wrote. “I was so touched by this experience. Especially since I know people who have been asked to leave restaurants when their child with autism is being disruptive. I expected a few different things with this scenario based on past experiences, but I did NOT expect such kind and compassionate mannerisms from Lauren and Bradley.”
MacLean said the Chili’s staff saved the rest of Ariana’s day, which was meant to be a special outing.
“Everyone, from the hostess to the chef, played a role in what most people would think isn’t a big deal. But this entirely shaped how the rest of our day would go. I know…a cheeseburger cut in half literally could make or break our day,” MacLean wrote. “In this case thanks to the professionalism of the crew in Midvale, it made our day. And I’m sure Arianna brightened up at least one of the employees days with her silly little personality. Thank you.”
But Wells said the pleasure was all hers.
“She made my day for sure,” Wells said. “I will never forget this in my lifetime now.”
MacLean’s post was liked more than 858,000 times and shared more than 202,000 times.
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Source: Anna Kaye MacLean, Huff Post
