The concept of paying it forward has been around for a while, but lunch patrons at Campus Pollyeyes on
Saturday took it to another level.
As a group of armed forces members enjoyed their meal, an anonymous couple wanted to show their
appreciation for the soldiers’ service. When they tried to pass along money to pay for the meal and were
rebuffed – they were told the men couldn’t accept the gift – the pair couldn’t take no for an answer,
said Dean Smith, manager of the restaurant.
"They just came up to the counter and went ahead and paid for it anyway," he said of the
couple.
When they went to the register themselves and learned from their server what had happened, the service
members picked up the tabs of the other four or five tables in the restaurant "without
hesitation."
While the service members’ total may have been about $60, Smith estimated they paid at least double that
by treating the other customers.
"Everyone else was pretty excited about getting their bill paid for," Smith said. "It was
a nice moment."
It was so moving – some customers cried in response to the gesture – so Smith shared the story via the
restaurant’s Twitter account, @Pollyeyes.
Others were touched as well and spread the tale themselves. Since Saturday, the message has been
retweeted more than 70 times, with another 77 users saving it as a favorite.
"That was by far and away our most retweeted tweet," said Smith, who manages the account.
"It was just a cool thing to happen."