Sometimes, a simple act of kindness is all it takes to brighten someone’s day! The sheer goodwill of people can be both comforting and humbling. Last Saturday at Black Oaks, one of the individuals living there suggested going to lunch at Lion’s Tap Family Restaurant in Eden Prairie. What the group didn’t know was that the outing would have them all in smiles by the time they left the restaurant. Here is their story, written by Program Manager, Brenda Witt from Black Oaks. 

Last Saturday at Black Oaks one of the individuals suggested going to lunch at Lion’s Tap Family Restaurant in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.  It was so busy, we had to wait in line nearly thirty minutes for a table.  When it was time for us to sit at an open table, it was awkward for our party of six, (one in a wheelchair and one using a walker) to get through the crowded area.

We were directed towards one table before the waitress saw our predicament and offered us a different table.  We agreed the second table option would work better for us, and moved. The gal in the wheelchair was transferred to a chair for her to sit tall enough to eat her meal at the table. This gal has recently been leaning her body to the left, and as she was sitting, she didn’t look comfortable.  We put on our thinking caps and came up with the idea of using the other individual’s walker to prop her up and provide extra support. It worked perfectly; the individual was comfortable, and so were we!

The staff also worked as a team to configure seating at the table. They decided to place two of the individuals on opposite sides of the table because we could see they were possibly getting on each others nerves. It can sometimes seem to take forever to get a table. The gal using the walker was a real trooper, standing still while waiting, and the other individual did not understand why we had to wait so long.

Everyone settled in. 

Of course, at the beginning of ordering we expressed needing separate bills.  When nearing the end of our meal, we spoke with our waitress about how we would like to pay our bills. We had a mix of cash and credit and could put the two staff’s meals together.  The waitress stopped the conversation and started to cry.

Her tears were that of joy!  

She informed us that another patron had already paid the bill.  We asked who paid, but she said she had promised the person she would wait to tell us, until after they had left the building.

We finished our meals, reflecting on the great service we had at the establishment, and the enormous act of kindness from the anonymous bill-payer. Everyone was happy, humble and satisfied. We all thoroughly enjoyed the food and each other’s company.

After we had finished, we wanted to gather a big tip to share the wealth! Because we were working with cash and multiple people’s money, we needed change for two of the gals. When we requested this, the waitress asked why, and let us know if we were trying to give a tip, it was completely unnecessary.  We said that we wanted to, but she said no, the person who paid our bill had also already given her a very nice tip.

May good-will banter and thanks went back and forth as we accepted the gracious gift.  We a wonderful experience at lunch and went on to have a great day.