Man Having Bad Day Leaves $300 for Chick-Fil-A Drive-Thru Diners

One man’s rough patch brought joy to over a dozen Chick-Fil-A customers Friday, when he made a generous gesture to benefit those that followed him in the Sherwood Way drive-through line.

It was just after 1 p.m. when the anonymous male came through the drive-through, manager Caleb Minton said. He placed his order, received his food, and handed off a note to the employee at the window, asking the person to read it.

“…he left a note and he left $300,” Minton said. “He said he had just gone through a divorce, was having a really rough day emotionally, and wanted to bless someone else, bless several other people and help them have a better day. He said that in turn would help him be a happier person.”

Chick-Fil-A employees then shared the note with guests, letting them know their meals had been paid for, which lasted for an estimated 15-20 orders behind him. Reactions from customers varied, Minton said, and several passed on thoughts and prayers for the man who had bought their lunch.

“They (the customers) were really excited,” Minton said. “We had one individual that cried because she was having a bad day and that really helped turn it around. A lot of people didn’t really know what to say. Some wanted to pass on their prayers and good thoughts towards this man and some were just excited for a free meal.”

As a result of the man’s good intentions, other Chick-Fil-A customers began adding money to the pot to keep things going, and Minton said although he’s seen random acts of kindness like this before at the fast food joint, never has he witnessed generosity of this magnitude.

“I felt overjoyed and it was a good example of God’s forgiveness and love, whether it was the original man’s intention or not,” said one customer who pulled through the drive-through shortly after the man had left.

The customer, who added to the money for the following customers, also wished to remain anonymous, stating that she didn’t want recognition for doing a good turn.

“It pretty much made my whole entire day,” she said. “It was something unexpected. It just seemed like a regular, busy lunch hour. I think the most surprising part was that the man that donated the money was himself going through a hard time. I left what I was going to pay for mine. It wasn’t a whole a lot, but I figured it would pay for somebody else’s sandwich.”

Both Minton and the customer said they were surprised by the gesture, and wish the donor well with the troubles he is having.

“I’d like to let him know that as a community we’re here for him,” Minton said. “We’re here to support him, we love him and pray for his life to be healed through this kind act.”