“I’d like to pay for the order of the car behind me as well.”
In December 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a customer at a drive-thru restaurant in Minnesota, USA, said these words while paying for their meal. The driver behind them, surprised by the unexpected kindness, decided to do the same—paying for the order of the person behind them. And that next customer, too, chose not to let the chain of goodwill end there.
What began as a simple act of generosity grew into a pay-it-forward relay that lasted throughout the day. Even the last customer of the night left money to cover the first customer’s meal the next morning. The chain continued into the following day, and as the story spread across social media, cars lined up at the restaurant just to participate. Others who couldn’t visit in person sent donations instead. Over the course of three days, nearly 900 people joined in, contributing more than $10,000 in pay-it-forward gifts.
Each person likely paid little more than the price of their own meal, yet they gained something priceless—not only the simple pleasure of eating, but two additional joys: the joy of receiving kindness and the joy of passing it on.
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