Tony Posnanski, a restaurant manager with 15 years of experience, shared a powerful memory about a single moment that changed his perspective. One night, a woman and her young daughter with autism came into the restaurant. Another table complained that the little girl was being too loud.
Tony walked over to the table, and the mom immediately saw what was coming. She looked at him and asked, “Do you know what it is like to have a child with autism?”
In that moment, Tony was supposed to tell her to control her child or move to another table. But he didn’t. Instead, he told the mom he hoped her meal was great, high-fived her daughter, and told her that their meal was on the house. The bill was only sixteen dollars, but it meant so much more to him.
He admits he doesn’t know what it’s like to have a child with autism. But he does know what it’s like to be a father who loves his kids more than anything.
The mom had clearly faced this situation before. She had prepared for the usual response, but Tony chose to be different. He chose kindness over protocol. He wrote a letter to the mom and her daughter to thank them.
“You have given me a great restaurant memory. One that I needed for the last fifteen years.”
He realized that doing the right thing won’t always make everyone happy, but it will make a difference to the people who need it most.
BY Tony Posnanski