Police officers are known for making people pay. But in an act of kindness, they were the ones paying.
After being rebuffed by a couple dining in the same restaurant, the officers responded by paying their $28.58 bill, along with a $10 tip.
The four officers were eating at an Eat N’ Park restaurant restaurant in Homestead, Pennsylvania when their server attempted to sit a couple at a table next to them. The couple, however, asked to be seated elsewhere.
“The guy looks over at one of the police officers and was like, ‘Nah I don’t want to sit here.’ So they got moved completely opposite, away from the police officers,” Jesse Myers, a server at the restaurant, said.
Amid recent tensions surrounding police officers, the men told the couple not to worry.
“I looked over and said, ‘It’s okay sir. You won’t have to worry about it, we won’t hurt you,” police Officer Chuck Thomas said. “He looked at me hard again and said he’s not sitting here and walked away.”
The officers then had a choice: respond with similar rudeness or in kindness. The men chose kindness and decided to pay the couple’s bill. On the couple’s receipt, the officers added:
“Sir, your check was paid for by the police officers you didn’t want to sit next to. Thank you for your support.”
Thomas explained that the officers wanted to show the couple that the police were not out to add to the tension.
“Essentially the whole goal of it was to let him know that we’re not here to hurt you,” Thomas said. “We’re here for you. We work for the public. And we just want to better the relationship between the community and the police.”
Thomas pointed out that the interaction was not common, even amid increased attention of police activities.
“The day after Dallas, it was tight. You could feel the tension in the air. A lot of people did come up to us and thank us and shook hands and spoke of their sorrow. This was the only negative experience of the day,” Thomas said.
The server said that the couple laughed upon receiving the note and even cast a smile in the direction of the officers as they left.
