A Nova Scotia restaurant owner says he was pleasantly surprised to receive a letter from an Alabama resident, along with US$40 in cash for a food order that was never picked up.
Darcy Clarke, who runs Bentley’s Burgers and Fries in Halifax with his wife Laura, said he recalls the order clearly.
He said they cooked up the order and “just waited.” No one came to collect the food, and they gave the order to other customers at the end of the night.
“We just gave it away, and that was the end of it. First time it ever happened,” he said.
That was on Oct. 1. Clarke said a letter arrived last week apologizing for the abandoned order, and offering money to cover the cost.
“It stated: ‘Sorry. We called and ordered two burgers and two fries, but we didn’t come pick it up, because we live in Alabama, and here’s $40 American. Hopefully it pays the bill,’” he said.
The letter also acknowledges that the order was made in error, with the author saying, “Obviously I called the wrong restaurant.”
The customer also apologized, saying, “I hope that the amount enclosed is enough to cover the cost of my embarrassing mistake.”
Clarke said his first thought was “there’s hope for humanity yet.”
“It is truly rare to encounter such honesty, and the sincerity these individuals have displayed has warmed our hearts,” the post said.
He said he and his wife plan to collect the comments from social media and send them to the return address on the letter, along with some restaurant stickers and spices.
“We’re going to send it down to them, and hopefully they like it,” he said.
Clarke said the money from the letter covered the cost of the unclaimed order, and more.
“There was a little extra left. So my wife and I decided to put it towards ice cream in the summer. So when kids come by, we'll give them free ice cream,” he said.
