A restaurant worker has received widespread praise after responding to a customer’s late-night food order with an unexpected act of kindness that left both of them smiling.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The heartwarming exchange began when an Australian customer ordered a pasta dish just 14 minutes before the restaurant was due to close.
But rather than simply placing the order and waiting for their food to arrive, the customer included an apologetic message explaining that they were feeling unwell and completely understood if the restaurant couldn’t fulfil the request.
What happened next was enough to restore a little faith in humanity.
The incident, which took place in November 2021, was shared on Reddit by a restaurant employee using the username u/REDPURPLEBLOOD2.
The worker explained that the customer had placed an order for fettuccine carbonara pasta, costing $18.50, shortly before the kitchen was due to shut.
According to the receipt, the order was placed at 8:46pm on 17 November, leaving staff with very little time before closing.
The customer, who had apparently just woken up feeling particularly unwell, seemed concerned about causing the employees any unnecessary trouble.
Instead of demanding their food, they included a thoughtful message acknowledging the awkward timing.
The note read: “I’m sorry I’m ordering so late I’m very sick right now I just woke up I understand if you cancel BC you’re trying to close to store xx”
It was a small gesture of consideration towards the people preparing the meal, but one that clearly made an impression on the staff.
Rather than cancelling the order or expressing frustration at the timing, one employee decided to return the kindness.
They prepared the customer’s pasta and added a complimentary portion of garlic bread to the delivery.
But that wasn’t all.
The employee also included a handwritten message reassuring the customer that there was no need to apologise for ordering so close to closing time.
The note read:
“Thank you for
the kind note ☺
don’t stress about
ordering late, we
don’t mind!
Here’s a free
garlic bread to
help you feel a
bit better ♡♡♡”
It was a simple response, but one that turned an ordinary takeaway order into something much more memorable.
And the customer clearly appreciated the gesture.
Several days later, the restaurant received a glowing five-star Google review from the person who had placed the order.
The customer was so delighted with the unexpected surprise that they even joked about wanting to personally thank every member of staff.
In the review, they wrote: “They gave me garlic bread on the house when I was feeling sick and wrote me a cute lil note in the delivery box and personally I would like to give each and every employee a little forehead kiss”
And it wasn’t just the kindness of the employees that earned praise.
The customer also had some particularly enthusiastic words for the carbonara itself.
They continued: “Also it seems like they broil the cheese on top of the carbonara and it makes it all crispy on top and personally I think I might cry it was so good thank you kings”
For the employee who had written the original note, discovering the review was an equally lovely surprise.
Taking to Reddit’s r/MadeMeSmile community, they shared photographs of the order receipt, their handwritten message and the customer’s review.
They explained: “A couple days ago someone ordered 14 mins before closing time and wrote a note to us. I wrote one back and gave them a free garlic bread and a couple hours ago while working, I found out they left a review about it :). Was pretty happy for the rest of the shift”
The post quickly attracted positive reactions from other Reddit users, many of whom praised the worker for going out of their way to make somebody’s day a little better.
One person commented: “That made my day, thank you and keep being the amazing person you are.”
Another wrote: “You’re my hero. Please continue to spread your positivity. It is contagious!”
The story also resonated with people who had spent years working in restaurants and other food service jobs.
One Reddit user, who said they had more than a decade of experience in the industry, explained why the gesture had struck such a chord.
“As someone with 10+ years in the food service industry, this brought tears to my eyes.
Feeding people isn’t a small job, it’s so much more meaningful than people typically perceive it.”
Featured image credit: Reddit
