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View Full Version : Paying if forward at the Olive Garden.


Uncle Meat
12-24-2015, 7:38am
Wife had a hankering for soup & salad from Olive Garden. I'm cool with that. Not a fan of their entrees, but the soup & salad is not bad for the price and as stated the wife likes it so there we were seated in a back corner by the bar. After about 15 minutes an older couple came in and got seated at the table next to us. They had to be around 70-75 years old. You could tell just by looking at them they had been together forever. They quietly bantered back and forth about what to order, the days weather, and some other small talk I didn't pay much attention to. While the wife & I waited for a refill on the soup I leaned over and asked the woman if they were married and if so for how long. Her face lit up like HID and she proudly announced they had recently celebrated 55 years together. I told her the wife and I will hit 33 in a couple months and we hope to see 55 and beyond! She went on to tell us how she almost lost her husband back in May to some disease I can barely remember the name let alone spell correctly. So we had a bit more small talk about what they did before retiring. She was a former school principle and he retired from some manufacturing company.

We finished our meal and when the waitress brought the bill I quietly told her to put the elderly couples food on my bill. I really enjoy doing this kind of thing and not just around the holidays.

If it ever happens to you out of the blue it's the greatest feeling in the world! One time in the drive-thru at Starbucks the woman in front of us paid for our order. It was so cool of this stranger to do this. I of course returned the gesture and paid for the car behind me. I still wonder if it stopped there or kept going for a while?

Paying it forward and enjoyin' every minute of it! :cert:

U.M.

CertInsaneC5
12-24-2015, 8:46am
Done it before for service members I see at a restaurant. Great feeling for sure. :seasix:

Chris Fowler
12-24-2015, 3:33pm
Done it before for service members I see at a restaurant. Great feeling for sure. :seasix:

Same.

Don't see a lot of uniformed service members around here, but when we do I try to pick up their bill.

I say "try", because on at least two occasions someone has beaten me to it. :cheers:

SQUIRMIN VERMIN 84
12-24-2015, 4:13pm
Good thread!

There's a little café near Boeing Field east of Seattle where I meet an
old friend for lunch every 2 or 3 weeks and we got in the habit of picking up the tab for any LEO
or State Patrol officers having lunch. It's a great feeling having expressed support for a tough job.

I like the OP's treatment for the elderly couple...

CertInsaneC5
12-24-2015, 5:08pm
Same.

Don't see a lot of uniformed service members around here, but when we do I try to pick up their bill.

I say "try", because on at least two occasions someone has beaten me to it. :cheers:


:iagree: A couple years ago I paid for a sergeants meal. The guy behind me in line actually got mad at me because I beat him to it. :Jeff '79: I told him he was welcome to buy mine. :D :leaving: