Surprise! Your meal is on us – How a restaurant made tired mom’s day

07 February 2017 - 09:32 By Wendy Knowler
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now

And now for a feel-good South African restaurant bill story…

Tucking into a bowl of pasta is a challenging exercise when you’re holding a baby.

But‚ on Sunday afternoon‚ when Thashlene Govender of Hillary‚ Durban‚ sat down with husband Veelan at Mimmos in the Galleria mall near Amanzimtoti‚ she had no choice - the couple had forgotten their two-month-old baby daughter’s pram at home.

“By then we were pretty tired as we’d been shopping with her in our arms‚” Thashlene said.

When the bill came‚ they could barely believe their eyes. On it were the hand-written words: “Thank you for your support. Your bill has been paid for by the owner.”

The random act of kindness astounded them‚ especially as they aren’t regulars at the restaurant. “We asked to speak to the owner‚ and a woman in the same uniform as the waiters‚ who we’d seen making pizza and clearing tables‚ came over and told us they did it because there aren’t enough good deeds in the world.”

Govender posted the R288.40 bill‚ with an account of what happened‚ on a Durban restaurant review site‚ attracting a stream of “awesome!”-type comments.

“It was just a spur-of-the-moment decision to give a little pleasure‚” said Stefano Tavares‚ who owns and runs the restaurant with his wife‚ Cinnuel. “We could see the woman was battling to eat with the small baby‚ and we just thought we’d make her day better‚” he told ConsumerLIVE.

“I couldn’t believe it‚” Govender said. “I’ve never even won anything in my life.”

CONTACT WENDY:
Email: consumer@knowler.co.za
Twitter: @wendyknowler

– TMG Digital/ConsumerLIVE

subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now