She ordered an iced coffee around 7 a.m. Wednesday in St. Petersburg and asked to pay for the caramel macchiato for the stranger in the car behind her. He returned the favor. The chain kept going as employees began keeping count.
The Tampa Bay Times reports the chain finally ended around 6 p.m. when customer number 379 pulled up and ordered a regular coffee. Barista Vu Nguyen leaned out the window and explained the chain that started earlier in the day, asking if she'd like to participate. She declined, saying she only wanted to pay for her coffee.
Nguyen says he doesn't believe she understood the concept of paying it forward.
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Aloha Pamela,
I waited in a six-car-long drive-through line at the Pearl City Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. When I reached the window to pay for my drink, I was told by the friendly employee that my drink had been paid for by the lady in front of me! So, of course, I paid for the girl behind me! The week had been a pretty rough one, and something this amazing could not have happened at a more perfect time! I think we all try our best to do at least one good deed a day, though sometimes we can’t help but wonder if anyone else makes the same efforts. Your Applause column is an amazing bearer of great news and great people right here at home. I love it!
Jimell Silva
Pearl City
Dear Pamela,
My son, his friend and I had dinner at Denny’s in Royal Kunia. A pair of military men walked in after us, and we decided to thank them anonymously for their service to our country by treating them to their dinner. After we paid for their meals, we noticed that as they were leaving, they stopped at the cashier and paid her, too. We asked our waitress to check on it, and she returned to tell us that the military men were grateful to have received our thanks, then anonymously paid for another family’s meal! Wow. It was a chicken-skin moment for me, and a great example for my teenage son and his friend. Mahalo to all our military personnel.
Leimomi Wang
Royal Kunia
Dear Jimell and Lei,
Mahalo for reminding us of how good will takes on a life of its own. Paying it forward can be so rewarding, whether you do it with a monetary gesture or a simple act of kindness.
-- via roy, 4/25/13
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