My mother and her boyfriend are going to Hawaii for two weeks soon, and I have gotten up earlier than usual (with them still asleep) and decide to get some breakfast. After a few false starts I head to (Diner). Note that I live with my parents and have been out of a job due to my manager not liking me. Long story short he told me he’d talked with the bosses of where I worked and they all agreed that due to my “poor performance” I was being let go, and apparently they didn’t know until after it happened and were told it was due to there being a lack of work to do. In any event at the table next to me are an older couple with whom I strike up a friendly conversation, and I also call my mother to let her know I’ll be back later than I said in the note I left. the couple finish before I do.

Wife: (gets up to leave) Enjoy your visit with your mother!

Me: (embarrassed to admit I live at home (note: I’m in my early 20’s) Thanks.

I finish eating and go to see the hostess.

Me: How much do I owe you?

Hostess: You’re all set.

Me: (Thinking she meant she had my bill all totaled up) OK, how much do I owe you?

Hostess: No, you’re all set, the couple paid your bill.

Stunned and grateful, I say goodbye and walk out, waving goodbye to the couple  as they drive off. I get home and tell my mother and her boyfriend what happened. Shortly afterwords they leave to go to Hawaii. A short while later I get a call from a grocery store chain I had applied to a while back, and long story short end up getting hired. My mother calls me that night with good news of her own.

Mom: Hey (me), remember what you said (boyfriend) might do?

Me: (confused, guesses a few things I had said, like drinking a beverage from a hollow pineapple, getting me a Hawaii cookbook, and finding a maintenance job (he’s a workaholic), before remembering, with some prompting from (mom) that I had jokingly suggested he might propose to her there, due to it’s beauty. Turns out I was right, and I had no idea. I shared my good news and hung up. A day or two later I’m out getting a replacement cable for my computer, and decide to have breakfast at the same diner. As I’m eating, I notice two young teenage boys, one wearing a hat with my old High School symbol. I wave to him, make the symbol with my hands and give him a thumbs up, and he nods, and is later joined by an older teenage girl. I think about what happened to me the last time I was here, and about my recent good fortune, decide to return the favor foreword, and pull the waiter aside.

Me: last time I was here, an older couple paid my bill. I’d like to pay it foreword and put twenty dollars towards their meal (points to their table).

Waiter: (surprised) Of course.

They couldn’t do it by debit card, ut luckily the bank was nearby and I got a twently dollar bill, which I gave to the hostess, telling her to put it towards a tables meal and that (waiter) knew which one, and left. To the older couple, if you’re reading this, I’d like to thank you for your kindness towards a young man who was going through some troubled times, and to the group of teens, if you’re reading this I hope someday you’ll do the same thing I did for someone else someday.

My class was on a school trip when we decided to take a lunch break at the nearest restaurant. I had brought my own lunch but didn’t have anything to drink. My friend offered to get a soda for me. When he came back empty-handed, he related the following story:

Friend: Hi! Can I have a drink for my friend?

Clerk: I’m sorry, sir, that’s not possible.

Friend: But I’m going to pay for it, and everything. It’s just one drink.

Clerk: Sir, one drink- with one meal. You will have to get another meal to get another drink.

Friend: But I’m just getting a drink for my friend!

Clerk: Sir, you can only have one drink per meal.

Friend: But you just gave that man a soda by itself.

Clerk: Sir, please stop being unreasonable.

(I work at a grill. We don’t really have a vegetarian menu so this customer ordered a grilled cheese. A minute after I bring out their food she flags me down.)

Vegetarian: “I hate to be a bother but there’s um, something in my sandwich.” She shows me: a spider is stuck in the cheese. I’m freaking out, sure we’re going to have a bunch of unhappy customers.

The guy from the table next to hers tries to lean over and see it. He asks “What’s in it?”‘

Vegetarian: “Some kind of meat. I’m a vegetarian. I really hate to ask but could I please have a new one?”

Me: “Of course, I am so sorry. I’ll get that to you right away.” I rush the plate back to the kitchen and show the chef. He goes red and starts yelling at his staff. My manager runs over and demands to know what’s happening. I tell him.

Manager: “Who else saw? We can’t afford to comp more than three..”

Me: “Just her table. She told the other tables it was meat.”

My manager was so grateful he sent over an entire dessert platter and comped their meal. When I told her table their food free they left a $100 tip.

Best table I’ve ever had!

I’m waiting on two middle aged ladies who have decided to split an entree that is intended for one person. It’s not a large meal, and this occurs as I’m clearing their plates. It should also be noted that I’m a very small, petite woman.

Me: Are y’all all done here? Can I go ahead and grab this out of your way?

Lady #1: Yes, thank you. That was so good! And there was so much food!

Lady #2: Yeah, I can’t believe we finished all of that! I’m so full!

Me: I’m glad you both enjoyed it! That’s one of my favorite meals here.

Lady #2: You eat all of that by yourself?! But you’re so small!

Me: Oh yes, seafood doesn’t really fill me up too much.

My mother has a serious shellfish allergy; as she gets older, it has become progressively more serious. When she eats shellfish, she needs to go to the emergency room. Her friends are well aware of this; every time she eats out at a place that serves crustaceans, she explains it to the wait-staff in excruciating detail. She also lives in a part of the country where shrimp makes an appearance in many food items, so she has to repeat this often.

One day, my parents are having dinner with a friend of theirs. A few bites into dinner, my mother can sense that something is wrong. She mentions this to my father, who confirms that she’s having a reaction, and he asks the hostess whether there was shellfish in the food. The hostess says that there was, but that she took the shrimp out when she remembered about my mom’s allergy.

My parents immediately ask where the nearest hospital is and get ready to leave. The hostess disappears as they’re putting on their coats. When she emerges, she has boxed up their leftovers so they can eat them later.