Working in the restaurant industry isn’t always easy. Many people who own restaurants work long hours, have to contend with difficult customers, and some struggle to make ends meet.
However, owning a restaurant is also rewarding for people who enjoy serving great food. One restaurant owner claims to have “had his faith in humanity restored” after a group of customers who dined and dashed at his establishment sent him an interesting letter after he thought he would never hear from them again.
Three Young Diners Said They Needed to Find a “Cash Machine”
Apollo Apollinaire owns a Cajun restaurant called Kilimandjaro located in Middlesbrough, UK. On one busy night in 2017, a group of three young men were enjoying a meal at his restaurant before walking out “in search of a cash machine.”
As the men left in search of the nearest ATM, Apollinaire was certain that the diners had all enjoyed a free meal without ever intending to pay their bill. Apollinaire was disappointed, but this was unfortunately something he had seen before from diners.
The Restaurant Did Not Accept Credit Cards
The three men were told that Kilimandjaro didn’t accept credit card payments, but that was the only form of payment they had. With that information, they gave their word that they would return to the restaurant with money to pay the tab before walking out. Days had gone by and Apollinaire never saw the trio of men again. From his perspective, he had been bamboozled.
The Owner Considered it a “Bad Experience”
When someone eats a meal at a restaurant without paying their bill, the restaurant is forced to cover the costs out of pocket.
The cost of food and earnings for the chef, server, and other staff also have to be absorbed by the establishment, making it nearly impossible to earn a profit. Apollinaire considered the dine and dashers a “bad experience” and he tried to forget about the non-paying customers.
Restaurant Staff Were Instructed to Handle Things Differently Next Time
Apollinaire thought of the incident as a learning experience and instructed his staff to handle things differently in the future.
“Usually people don’t walk out as a whole group for a cash machine,” he said. “I just told my staff to next time make sure one of them stays or they leave some belongings until they come back.” The restaurant owner felt defeated, but he was realistic about what had occurred. “We accepted they would never come back and we had lost the money,” he said.
A Strange Letter Was Delivered to Kilimandjaro
As the days went on, Apollinaire forgot about the group of diners who ran off without paying for their food. Five days after the trio of men ran off, Apollinaire was shocked to receive a strange letter in the mail.
Upon opening the letter, the restaurant owner realized that it was from the young men who had eaten at Kilimandjaro on a busy Friday night. The letter explained why they vanished without paying, and it also contained something that Apollinaire never would have expected.
The Letter Was From the Dine and Dashers
The letter was from three men named ‘Tom, Alex and Harry’ and they were apologetic to the restaurant owner for seemingly leaving without paying for their dinner.
Surprisingly, the letter also included the cash they owed for the food they enjoyed the previous weekend. “I didn’t think people still did that. I thought those kinds of people had disappeared from the planet,” said Apollinaire.
Everything Suddenly Made Sense
The letter offered some insight into what happened the night the three men left Kilimandjaro and never returned.
“On our search [for a cash machine] it was apparent that the last train to our home town was shortly about to depart,” the letter said. “This diverted our attention away from finding an ATM machine and led to us running down to the train station and just making our train.”
But There Was More Inside the Envelope
The men offered their sincere apologies to Apollinaire and those who took the time to serve them dinner.
“It was at this point, being too late, we realized our actions and decided to write this letter of apology with £40 enclosed in this envelope,” the letter went on. The men also vowed to leave the restaurant a 5-star review in order to drum up more business. “There was a letter addressed to Kilimandjaro. When I opened it, there was all the money,” said Apollinaire.
The Owner Was Never Able to Thank the Three Young Men
While the restaurant owner was both stunned and relieved that the men went out of their way to pay their debt, he was also disappointed to learn that he would never be able to express his gratitude to the generous diners.
“The saddest part is they haven’t put their address or contact number on,” he said. Despite never knowing the true identities of the three young men, Apollinaire is humbled to know that they went above and beyond to right a wrong.
This Story Had a Happy Ending After All
The story of the dine and dashers at Kilimandjaro had an unexpectedly happy ending. “We can tell it was a genuine mistake,” said Apollinaire.
He still finds it hard to believe that the young men reached out to pay their bill five days after walking out of his restaurant. They could have easily just ignored their responsibility to pay, but they did the right thing. “It was just amazing. Everyone was shocked and people are finding it really touching,” he said.
The Owner Shared the Story to Social Media
Eager to show everyone the incredible set of circumstances that took place, Apollinaire posted photos of the letter and the money that was included with it to Kilimandjaro’s Facebook page.
He posted the caption, “Don’t be quick to judge; It is better questioning then give time to yourself for answer before you judge. Read carefully then you will understand that there are honest people over there too.”
People Were Amazed by the Incredible Outcome
The post garnered hundreds of likes and dozens of comments from people who were amazed by the positive outcome. “Not often that will ever happen in these days. More people like those are what’s needed!” said one commenter.
Another person said, “Fantastic at least they owned up and paid the bill. Still some good people in the world after all.” A third commenter echoed Apollinaire’s sentiments, saying, “Faith in humanity restored.”
