Random Act of Kindness – Missy’s RAOK story doesn’t end how it should and Chick-Fil-A should be ashamed

Random acts of kindness are little acts of carrying someones groceries, paying for their overdue parking meter, putting an extra cutie tangerine in your son’s lunch box for a classmate that doesn’t eat lunch. It’s the little, everyday things, that we as individuals can do to change a persons day. They are acts that are full of love and kindness and empathy.

This morning I woke up to a facebook message from Missy that said  “I just had to share that I thought of you & random acts of kindness when I updated my FB status this morning. You ‘d be proud momma bear. Please read. Thanks”. But because I only know Missy through my blog, we’re not friends on facebook so I couldn’t see her updates but told her I really wanted to hear what she had to say so she messaged me further…

Me & Randa, my 16 year old, went to Chick-fil-A yesterday, a homeless man was in there, all he had was a cup of coffee. As we were finishing up out meal, she asked if we could purchase him a meal? I told her no problem & proceeded to ask him if we could buy him lunch, the owner was in the process of asking him to leave the store. As I was ordering him a sandwich & fries, the cashier announced to everyone I was buying him a meal & not in a good way. At the very moment I had never felt so judged in all my life, much less in front of my child. The cashier was questioning why I was & if I was sure that I wanted to? I was so embarrassed by the treatment I received for trying help another & to teach Randa not to judge others as you never know there situation. This has not deterred us from helping others. I know not the happy story you expected but wanted to share with you. I’m waiting on corporate to respond to my very lengthy email.

My son, with his driving permit, was driving me down to my attorney’s office so I was just catching up on messages when I read this. And I kid you not I had tears in my eyes. I was livid, joyful, sad and thankful!

First of all, how incredible of her 16 year old daughter asked to help this man! Second, that Missy never even hesitated.

My response to her is here…

Thank God for you – someone that is willing to stand up and do something. Something that everyone else in the restaurant should have done!!! I am so sorry you had to deal with it and I hope that it doesn’t kill your good spirit from taking that chance again! I think that this is a fabulous lesson for your daughter. You can show her how even against the odds that sometimes doing the right thing and helping other people, people that could use your help, takes a lot of courage. That courage is to be commended. Have you heard from corporate? I would NOT let that one go!

And then she replied…

Randa is ok, she can be a quick one with words, I was so waiting for her to go off on someone, but she was more worried about what was about to come out of my mouth, that at one point she was like, “let’s just pay for his food & leave, before it gets uglier” She knows me well. I knew her mouth would not stay shut for long, as we hit the door going out, she turned & yelled. “Don’t forget to give him ketchup for his fries, yes the fries you questioned my mom on why she was buying them if he didn’t ask for them, those fries”

I think that is what kept me from breaking down in the parking lot when we got to the car. Glad she was driving. I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make you cry when I shared this with you, from reading your posts, you just seem like me in so many ways, trying to raise kids alone & teach them right from wrong & to the right thing at all times.

I heard from the owner of the location I couldn’t wait for corporate to contact me, so I called the store to speak with the owner, he was in a meeting but returned my call. He knew who I was & why I was calling. He was very arrogant & matter of factly about everything. He said he asked him to leave because about 3 months ago this gentleman had been harassing customers in the parking lot for food & money, the gentleman had been asked then not to return. So then my reply was, then why did you let him buy coffee then sit for 20 minutes before you decided to make him leave, he didn’t have an answer. He said he employs kids as young as 14 & needs to watch out for their safety so he had to ask him to leave again. Still that doesn’t make sense to me, you allow him to spend money in your restaurant but then won’t let him enjoy his coffee he purchased in there. Wow.

I explained how his employees made me fee & how I felt they judged me, he stated that yes they did judge me, cuz they couldn’t understand why I would buy him food to begin with much less after he was asked to leave. I told him that it was not there place to judge nor question why I was doing it, all they had to do was take his order & my money. He also told me that he went home & told his wife about the crazy lady that bought food for the man he had just kicked out of his restaurant. I’m still kinda speechless about that one, he sort of apologized, but it didn’t sound sincere to me. I’m still not sure I will return to that Chick-fil-A again, and I told the owner that & how his employees left a bad taste in my mouth for that store. The entire situation should have been handled differently. I told him I felt his entire staff was rude & unprofessional, again not really an apology from him. Someone suggested I post it on the Chick-fil-A FB page, but I can’ see doing that as they are franchised out & it is just this one I had a problem with not all of them. Will let you know what corporate says.

Where do I start?

Well, I’ll start with a little narcissism and say I feel so honored that Missy thought of me! This just goes to show you that one effort that you make touches a lot of lives across the big earth.

Okay, now….

I’m pissed. I cannot believe how the Store Manager and Store employees have acted. I get that sometimes people need to be put in their places, but this sounds like a case of discrimination to me. The man was allowed to buy his coffee and allowed to sit with his coffee even though the manager said that he was no longer allowed in the store. The man may have been a nuisance in the past, but he clearly was minding his own business for quite a while before an incident took place.

ALL OF THAT however, is neither here nor there. The employees have no right to comment on what somebody buys. I would equate this to an employee teasing an overweight person who just bought 3 sandwiches. It should not be allowed.

And then the Owner has the balls to tell Missy that he told his wife about “the crazy lady?”

Frankly, I’d take this to my local news station because Missy’s right. I am a momma bear that does what is right and stands up for the right of others no matter what anyone says, does, thinks about it.

In the end, the man got his sandwich and Missy and Randa did the right thing. I hope that this only fuels their fire to continue doing random acts of kindness.

And I hope that it fuels your heart too.

Karma goes both ways. You do good, you receive good. You do bad, you receive bad. Karma will act in this situation on both sides.