A Stranger Bought Lunch For Me Today ...

[SandrA9810]

It's possible her order was already placed, or being placed while he was being rung up.

Especially if it's an "order here" then "pay here" line. The cashier could see what the next order was going to be.

 

[willowsnn3]

This happens a lot in GA. It's usually called the "Drive Thru Difference" & is promoted by some of the local radio stations & a lot of churches. You can print out a letter from the station & have the cashier give it to the person behind you & most of the time that person will call in to the radio station just to say how much the gift of a free meal affected them...
The church I go to has cards to give out inviting the recipient to church. I have paid for meals a couple times & it's a good feeling. I had mine paid for once & the person left a very nice card & I was totally cheered up for the rest of the day.

 

[lillygator]

we try to do this whenever we can....the kids and I do a girls night out and will pay on our way out - usually for an elderly couple or someone dining alone. Always makes me feel good.

 

[mackeysmom]

Yeah, I figured that much. But I'm more curious how it goes in the situation of the OP. The guy went before her, so he couldn't have known the total beforehand, ya know?

The same guy who took the orders was also working the cash register.

I was waiting off to the side since my pizza was being heated and I hadn't been rung up yet. I can only imagine that the stranger must have said something to effect of "Ring her order up with mine" or something like that. The cashier had taken my order so he knew what I was getting.

- Laura

 

[WDWBarb]

I did this at a Cracker Barrel once. I was at lunch with co-workers and I couldn't help but notice this couple, probably in their 50's. She was very ill - incredibly thin and weak and struggling with every bite. She was wearing a scarf over her head and had an IV in the back of her hand. He doted and worried over her - looking at her with such desperation and love.

I asked the waitress to bring me their bill when they were done (she was also serving their table). She burst into tears when I asked her to do that and she said, "God Bless" and then ran into the kitchen.

I wonder sometimes how they are and if she got better - I don't think I'd ever seen love so strong as I saw in that man's eyes that day.

And I hoped that the gesture made a small difference in their day. I left before they asked for their bill but I hoped that they didn't think I was calling attetion to their situation - only letting them know that people do care.

 

[torinsmom]

The national contemporary Christian radio station KLOVE calls Mondays "Make a Difference Mondays" or MAD Mondays. They suggest people pay for someone else's lunch, coffee etc. to make someone's day brighter. They also suggest simply being kind to others for no reason at all. Sometimes, just a smile can make someone's day better

 

[richmond282]

I did this at a Cracker Barrel once. I was at lunch with co-workers and I couldn't help but notice this couple, probably in their 50's. She was very ill - incredibly thin and weak and struggling with every bite. She was wearing a scarf over her head and had an IV in the back of her hand. He doted and worried over her - looking at her with such desperation and love.

I asked the waitress to bring me their bill when they were done (she was also serving their table). She burst into tears when I asked her to do that and she said, "God Bless" and then ran into the kitchen.

I wonder sometimes how they are and if she got better - I don't think I'd ever seen love so strong as I saw in that man's eyes that day.

And I hoped that the gesture made a small difference in their day. I left before they asked for their bill but I hoped that they didn't think I was calling attetion to their situation - only letting them know that people do care.

This reminds me of a situation I witnessed in a restaurant a couple of weeks ago. It was an all-you-can-eat buffet situation. An older woman and her elderly blind mother (I am guessing it was her mother) sat down at the table across from us. The waitress (who had done an excellent job keeping up with drinks and clearing dirty plates) asked the daughter if she could go fix the blind lady a plate. The daughter declined the offer, but when we left my DH went a found the manager on duty and told him what I had seen and left a generous tip for that waitress.

 

[richmond282]

I took a group of students to Carowinds one time. We needed 15 tickets. If you order through group sales, you get a free ticket for every 15 you order so I ended up with 16 tickets. I didn't need the extra ticket so I walked over to the ticket line and offered the free ticket to several people. I was amazed at how many people DIDN'T want the ticket. I was literally just giving it to them, no charge. Finally, someone accepted it.