http://jacksonville.com/news/columnists/mark_woods/2009-10-04/story/paying_the_goodwill_forward_0
QuoteIt had been a fairly typical, busy lunchtime at the Cruisers Grill at the beach.
Then one of the diners, after paying the bill for himself and his wife, pointed to the strangers at a nearby table - a group of about five people in their early 20s - and asked if he could take care of their check, too.
"I was like, 'Uh, I guess so,' " server Todd Carlson said.
The man paid the bill, then he and his wife quietly left the restaurant.
A little while later, the group at the nearby table finished eating and asked for the check.
The servers explained what had happened.
"Really?" one of the diners said, then pointed at another group. "Can we get that table's bill then?"
They did. And that table picked up someone else's check. And it kept going and going. Nearly four hours and a dozen bills later, it finally ended. But only when there was an afternoon lull and one table didn't have anyone else's check to pick up.
When I heard about what had happened at Cruisers a couple of weeks ago, I wasn't sure what to make of it. And apparently, at least initially, neither were the servers.
Bobby Handmaker, owner of three Cruisers on the First Coast, laughs as he recalls getting to the restaurant and hearing the servers complaining about the chaos of trying to keep the bills and tips straight. Then, he says, there was this "aha" moment when they realized they were in the middle of something special.
In a time when money is tight, people kept opening their wallets and literally paying it forward.
In a time when the prevailing emotion seems to be anger, this restaurant was full of surprised smiles.
"What do I make of it?" Handmaker said. "I think it really speaks to the goodness of people. I'm watching the news today. And, with all due respect, I think people get so sick of all the negativity in the media, the tit-for-tat in politics.
"I think people get to the point where they say, 'I just want to do something that's going to help someone else and make me feel good.' "
So who started it? And why?
Handmaker knew the answer to the first part of that. He dug up the check that started it all. He talked to the people involved and gave me a phone number.
The woman was happy to talk. But she said they didn't want their names in the paper. That would spoil it. It was an anonymous act, and they'd like it kept that way.
They're in their 30s. They live across the Intracoastal, but both work at the beach. She said they're regulars at the restaurant.
I asked her why they did it. She talked about their faith, giving an explanation that felt like it was ripped not from the headlines but from a Sunday school parable.
She explained that while they were eating, they overheard bits and pieces of the conversation at the table next to them. It was about doing mission work, helping others. So they decided they wanted to help these people.
"My husband looked at me and said, 'Let's buy their lunch,' " she said.
She didn't find out what had happened after they left until later. When she returned to the restaurant, one of the servers greeted her and excitedly began telling the story.
"I was in shock," she said. "We had no idea that it would have that kind of effect. It wasn't this big plan."
And when she heard what had happened, what did she make of it?
"A little goodwill goes a long way," she said.
Wonderful story. Giving is the best feeling of all.