When you go out to eat, you expect your waiter or waitress to greet you, take your order, bring your food, and check on you every once and awhile. If all of those boxes are checked and your food was good, you’re probably going to walk away happy and leave a pretty good tip, right?
Well, one couple in Springfield, Illinois got much more than that when they went to their local IHOP.
A woman and her husband went to the same IHOP restaurant for years. They were regulars and got to know the staff and the staff got to know them. Waiter Joe Thomas had seen this couple come in to eat countless times. He was a waiter at the IHOP for over a decade. He knew the wife was disabled and her husband always had to feed her since she has trouble eating due to a medical issue.
But, what Thomas did next was certainly a move not many waiters would take.
Knowing that the husband always took time away from his meal to feed his wife, Thomas sat down with the couple and started feeding her so the couple could enjoy their meal together.
Thomas wasn’t looking for any recognition. In a television interview with WICS, Thomas said he always saw the husband stop eating so he could feed her. He figured if he wasn’t doing anything at the time, he could go feed her so the husband could eat and everyone could be happy.
His actions didn’t go unnoticed.
The couple was grateful, but other people also saw what Thomas did. Since it was something you don’t see every day, one woman did what everyone does these days…took her phone out, snapped a picture, and shared it on social media.
We’re used to seeing people post negative things they see, rarely do we see random acts of kindness like this. The photo has gone viral and put Thomas in the spotlight.
But, he’s not one looking for recognition.
He says his parents always taught him to treat people as equals, so that’s what he was doing.
Thomas told station WICS, “I am out there to help anyone if I can, don’t really look for anything in return, just have a good day and that’s it.”
Many people who have seen Thomas’s story on YouTube have commented about just how heartwarming it was to see such a random act of kindness.
“GOD bless his heart. Not too many people will do that. That’s what the world needs, more good people.”
“This level of kindness is rare. The world needs more people like Joe Thomas.”
“This is why I still believe in humanity. This man has my deepest respect and honor.”
Whether he was looking for recognition or not, Thomas certainly received it. Since the picture went viral in 2017, Thomas received a job offer to become a nurse.
While we don’t know if Thomas took the offer or if he’s still serving meals at IHOP, we do know that a little act of kindness can go a long way.
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