Waitress Who Paid For Broke Customer’s Meal Gets A Taste Of Karma

During her shift at a restaurant, Sarah Hoidahl stepped up in a major way. Yes, the waitress opted to pick up the tab for a pair of servicewomen who had financial troubles. But good deeds aren’t always returned, and Sarah certainly never expected her kind gesture to change her life forever.

Meeting Sarah

A resident of Concord, New Hampshire, Sarah was all too aware of the difficulties that can come from money troubles. Why’s that? Well, at the time, she was a single mom trying to get by, with her waitress job proving to be her sole source of income. It couldn’t have been easy, right?

She could relate

And to really hammer that point home, Sarah was still living with her own mother during that period as well. So, if anyone could relate to a person’s financial struggles, it was her! Anyway, let’s switch our focus back to that day when the mom crossed paths with the two servicewomen at her workplace.

A costly shutdown

It happened in October 2013 at a Ruby Tuesday outlet, which coincided with a tricky time in America. You see, for just over two weeks that month, the country’s government ceased operations because of budgetary issues. As a result of that, people employed within certain sectors were losing out on their regular wages.

“Pay Our Military Act”

Now, some of you might remember that Barack Obama had put through the “Pay Our Military Act” prior to this incident. As the name suggests, it was put in place to make sure that those in the armed forces didn’t suffer financial hardships while the government was inactive. It wasn’t a perfect solution, though.

Furloughed

While some benefited from the act, there were plenty of others who weren’t so lucky. And the two ladies who walked into Ruby Tuesday during that spell were among the latter group. They were part of New Hampshire’s National Guard, and had been placed on furlough due to the government shutdown.

Stepping up

Sarah found that out as she went to serve the pair, and it appeared to strike a nerve. Who wouldn’t feel a bit of sympathy for their plight? It had to have been tough. And she decided to do something about it. To go into more detail on that front, the mom spoke to WMUR-TV in October 2013.

“We aren’t getting paid”

Reflecting on that day, Sarah recalled, “They were looking through the menu and [one of the ladies] had mentioned something about the furlough, and how ‘we aren’t getting paid.’ I was like, ‘Oh, jeez.’ I was just thinking to myself that must be really difficult. Just because the income stops, doesn’t mean the bills do.”

A free meal

“I was like, ‘You know, I’m going to buy their food today,’” Sarah continued. “Good karma, do something nice for someone else.” So, the Concord resident did just that, covering a check that totaled close to $30. And that wasn’t the only thing that she did that day.

Sarah left a note, too!

In addition to paying for the ladies’ meals, Sarah also penned a message on the other side of the bill. Want to know what it said? We’re pretty curious ourselves. Well, ponder no more. But before you start reading it, you might need a tissue or two — her words could bring about a few tears!

“Thank you for serving ladies”

Sarah’s written message read, “Thanks to the government shutdown, the people like you [who] protect this country are not getting paid. However, I still am. Lunch is on me! Thank you for serving ladies! Have a good day.” Talk about putting the cherry on top of a very generous gesture.

The immediate reaction

So, that’s got us wondering — how did the two servicewomen respond to Sarah’s thoughtful act? Well, the Ruby Tuesday waitress didn’t have to wait long to find out. She looked back on that moment during her lengthy chat with WMUR-TV. We hope you’ve still got those tissues handy, folks.

“Worth everything”

“I came out and [the servicewomen] were out front waiting for me,” Sarah explained. “They came up and hugged me, and just their reaction was worth everything. It was like I did this big huge thing, and I was like, ‘I just bought you lunch, but thank you.’” That didn’t prove to be the end of things, though.

Gaining online attention

You see, after Sarah helped those ladies out at the restaurant, they shared their experience with the New Hampshire National Guard. And from there, the organization took to its Facebook page in October 2013 to post a message about the selfless waitress. It included a snap of her and the written note.

A viral post

Then again, we don’t think anyone could’ve predicted what happened next. Yes, the New Hampshire National Guard’s social media post quickly went viral, earning close to 10,000 likes and roughly 3,000 shares. It also generated hundreds of comments from Facebook users, with plenty of them hailing Sarah’s kind gesture.

Endless praise

A user who held a similar job to Sarah wrote, “Awesome! It makes me feel terrible that I haven’t done this myself as a server. Thank you!” Someone else in the comments section stated, “That is amazing to me! Thanks for being such a great and inspiring example, Sarah.”

“Acts of kindness”

And as the comments continued to pour in, one message in particular stood out. Facebook user Karen Mariner wrote, “Awesome Sarah, it only takes a couple [of] people to show acts of kindness. Maybe then others will do the same. In this world the way it is today, we need to truly help each other out from time to time.”

Sarah’s response

Given the attention that the post was getting online, Sarah soon became aware of it. And it’s fair to say that the social media reaction touched her deeply. There was a certain comment that stuck with her after looking through the replies, and the mom opened up about it to WMUR-TV.

“That really got to me”

Sarah told the station, “I think the most moving thing I saw on Facebook was someone [saying] there should be more people like me. That really got to me. I mean, [the military] protect this country. They protect citizens like me and [paying for the meal] was a nice thing to do.”

International coverage

If that wasn’t enough, Sarah’s gesture was covered by news outlets outside of America as well. For instance, U.K. newspaper the Daily Mail published a story about it on its website. Pretty incredible, right? But here’s where it gets even more remarkable — her unexpected brush with fame would end up lasting far longer than she’d ever dreamed.

A famous face got in touch

So, let’s set the scene. As Sarah’s tale was warming the hearts of people across the nation and beyond, a famous figure wanted to offer her a bigger platform to speak about it. The person in question? One Ellen DeGeneres. Wow! Yes, she invited the waitress on to her show in October 2013.

The Ellen appearance

Sarah went on to accept the invitation, completely unaware of what was going to happen next. Let’s get into it! When she joins Ellen in front of the cameras, the pair discuss her now-famed shift at Ruby Tuesday. From there, Sarah reflects on the unexpected aftermath.

“It’s been mind-blowing”

Once Ellen brings up the response to her story, Sarah says, “Yeah, it’s been crazy. It’s been mind-blowing. And now I’m on Ellen! It’s mind-blowing — my mind is still blown!” At this stage, the host then asks her what her paycheck looked like when the money for the meal was taken out.

What was left over?

Sarah replies, “I walked away with $8 [that day]. Which isn’t even enough to cover my gas!” That couldn’t have been easy, regardless of the reasons behind it. Ellen recognizes it, too, as she brings up the mom’s living situation. At this time, Sarah’s son is only a year and three months old.

Paying her back...and then some!

So, keeping all this in mind, Ellen decides to do something for Sarah. The television star offers to give her the money that she lost covering the servicewomen’s initial bill. The amount came to $27.75. Yet when Ellen hands over the cash to the Concord resident from a comically sized bag, she drops a big bombshell.

“Your television is broken”

“First of all, you’re paid back on that,” Ellen says. “And then I heard that you can’t watch my show — the most important thing here, this is why I have you here! Your television is broken, so you’re not able to watch me and that’s unacceptable. So I got you a brand-new, 50-inch Insignia television.”

A massive check

What a lovely thing to do! And guess what — Ellen isn’t done just yet. You see, once the huge TV’s been brought on to the stage, the host asks for her checkbook. Then, she reveals that Sarah will be receiving an additional $10,000 on top of everything else.

“You’re a good person”

Unsurprisingly, Sarah’s left in complete shock when it all dawns on her. The mom bursts into tears of joy, before sharing a heartfelt hug with Ellen. And as that’s going on, the host also tells Sarah, “You’re a good person.” She won’t get any arguments from us with that assessment!

It got YouTube buzzing

On that note, the emotional segment comes to an end. It was soon uploaded to the show’s YouTube channel, and the clip made quite the impact. Yep, the video’s earned more than 12 million views at the time of writing, as well as around 84,000 likes from online users.

Sarah had another surprise coming...

So, there was no getting away from it — Sarah had become a massive sensation during the fall of 2013. And if her story had ended at that stage, few would’ve been surprised. After all, what else could happen? Well, as it turned out, there was one final twist in store for the selfless mother.

Ellen wasn’t finished with Sarah

And just like before, Ellen was behind it, as she dedicated another segment of her show to Sarah a few weeks later in November 2013. On this occasion, though, the latter wasn’t there... technically, anyway. Instead, she showed up on the stage’s big screen, with the host going into more detail.

“Those are our cameras”

“Sarah is at work right now at Ruby Tuesday,” Ellen explains. “She thinks [that] she’s talking to a reporter from the local news. But what she doesn’t know [is that] those are our cameras, that’s one of our producers, and when I say, ‘Go,’ her boss is going to walk in with a phone and say she’s got a call. I’ll be on the other end.”

Getting in touch

After laying it all out, Ellen then gives the signal. Sarah’s handed the phone with no clue as to what’s really going on, ahead of hearing a recognizable voice from the speaker. You don’t have to imagine her shock — which quickly becomes apparent as she covers her mouth in stunned laughter!

Worldwide recognition

Anyway, once Ellen reveals the set-up, she asks what Sarah’s been up to since appearing on the show. “Yeah, it’s been crazy. But I mean, it’s been so much fun,” the waitress replies. “I can’t believe I’m talking to you! I’ve heard from people in the U.K., Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, Africa... like everywhere. It’s been so insane.”

“Very generous bonus”

Insane is an understatement, wouldn’t you agree? Who could’ve predicted all this when Sarah first decided to help those two ladies from the National Guard? It really did change her life. Plus, Ruby Tuesday looked to reward the worker’s good deed, too, as she was offered a “very generous bonus” by the company

How did Sarah plan to spend her cash?

Then, Ellen brings up the $10,000 that she gave Sarah last time around. The mom says that she’s planning to spend a portion of it on a new car, as her old vehicle needs an upgrade. And at this point, the TV star pulls out her bag again, claiming that she “forgot” to hand over another gift on the earlier show.

“Keys to your brand-new car”

From here, a different person on the show’s production team turns up at the restaurant with the gift in hand. Ellen informs Sarah, “Those are [the] keys to your brand-new car. It’s a 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport.” Sarah can barely believe it, bursting into tears once again. And we can’t say we blame her!

A huge response

So, as Sarah takes it all in from the front-seat of her new motor, the segment comes to a close. What a roller-coaster! Much like before, it was uploaded to YouTube soon afterwards — and brought in even bigger numbers. Yes, the video’s earned more than 13 million views at the time of writing, along with over 100,000 likes.

“It’s going to be so wonderful”

As for Sarah’s thoughts on the new vehicle, the website Give It Love shared her reaction. “It’s been a long wait for this car,” she said. “But I really can’t complain. It’s going to be nice. I don’t know what I’m going to do. It’s going to be so wonderful.” You can sense the excitement emanating from every word, right?

What’s Sarah doing now?

What’s Sarah up to today? Well, after nearly a decade, her spell at Ruby Tuesday concluded. And September 2021, the mom announced that she and her partner were engaged! Things were only looking up for Sarah in the wake of her act of kindness, and she hoped others were encouraged to take the leap and help someone else.

An inspired act of kindness

Seeing the same chance to help somebody who deserved it, a woman named Alice decided to extend some kindness to her close friend Ella. See, Ms. Ella, a military widower with a heart of gold, was raising six of her great-grandchildren all on her own. But as Christmas was fast approaching, a past due water bill was hanging over her head.

Crumbling house

Ms. Ella has no local friends to rely on and does almost everything herself. All of her income goes on feeding her great-grandchildren and paying the bills. But when her house fell into disrepair, it left Ms. Ella with even more problems. Fortunately, there were people looking out for her from afar.

A best friend

You see, Ms. Ella has the emotional support of her Californian best friend, Alicestine “Ms. Alice” Miller. Unfortunately, the geographical distance limits contact, and they don’t get to meet up often. Nevertheless, the pair have remained firm friends. In fact, it was Miller that helped arrange her bestie’s incredible surprise.

Reaching out

Unable to do much to physically help Ms. Ella, Miller contacted someone who could: the Fox5 Surprise Squad. For its part, the network’s viewership can nominate people they think deserve a special act of kindness for their good work. Fox5 subsequently sends a surprise team to the chosen nominee and offers them a helping hand.

Enhancing happiness

Meanwhile, the Fox5 Surprise Squad works with a number of different organizations to conduct its impressive work. United Nissan in Las Vegas, American Credit Union and Albertsons Vons all work together as a team with a common goal. According to the network, they want to “enhance luck and happiness” for the nominee who has given so much for others.

A letter to Fox5

And so Miller sent the Fox5 Surprise Squad a letter all about Ms. Ella’s selfless struggling friend. And in the subsequent video clip uploaded onto the channel’s official YouTube page in December 2018, it revealed what the correspondence said. Reporter Cassandra Jones reads out, “Dear Fox5 Surprise Squad. I need your help with helping a deserving friend of mine in dire need.”

So much with so little

“My friend Ms. Ella is a… great-grandmother raising six great-grandchildren by herself. They’re her life,” the letter continues. Ms. Alice can also be heard on the video saying, “She cooks, she cleans for the children, she’s truly just a good person.” However, she reveals Ms. Ella’s financial support is limited and inadequate.

Not enough

“The help she receives each month is just not enough to get by,” Jones quotes. Miller explains to Fox5 via telephone that she’s tried her best to help her friend whenever possible. For example, one problematic issue for Ms. Ella was her house’s leaking water system.

Hoping for the light

In the video, Miller explains, “[Ms. Ella] needs someone to help her with the water at the house. That bill is $900 and she pays $200 a month on it – and it’s not going down. Sometimes, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, you know?” Indeed, Ms. Alice hoped the Fox5 Surprise Squad would be that light.

Visiting Ms. Ella

Without intervention, Ms. Ella and her great-grandchildren wouldn’t be able to celebrate Christmas. But the great-grandmother’s plight and her close friendship with Ms. Alice touched the Fox5 team. As a result, they decided to visit Ms. Ella. Her friend only hoped she could witness the moment the surprise team arrived.

Seeing her reaction

“I just wish I could see her if you guys knocked on her door, oh my God,” Ms. Alice chuckles in the video. She continues, “I want her to know that someone cares.” And soon Ms. Ella discovers that someone is indeed looking out for her when Fox5 arrives at the house and Jones introduces herself.

"We’re like sisters"

The minute Ms. Ella sees who’s on her doorstep, she becomes incredibly emotional and breaks down in tears. And when Jones tells the great-grandma that they got a letter from someone, she instantly knows who. Ms. Ella says mouths the name “Alice” through her tears, continuing, “We’re like sisters, she checks on me all the time.”

A surprise guest

As Jones holds the crying Ms. Ella, she announces the Fox5 Surprise Squad’s first gift. Reporter Jones continues, “Guess what? [Miller] is here today.” At first, the sobbing senior doesn’t believe her ears, but then her friend appears from around the corner. She embraces both Jones and Ms. Ella before heading inside to talk.

Rescuing her great-grandkids

After settling down, Jones asks Ms. Ella about her great-grandchildren and how she feels about them. She replies, “Oh Lord, they mean so much to me. They’re my heart, I had to rescue them.” However, through her tears, Ms. Ella admits that she can’t face a conversation about their past.

Hurting together

“I don’t want to go all into it,” the emotional great-grandmother says through her tears. Meanwhile, explains how she felt helpless too, unable to do anything but watch Ms. Ella suffer. The former exclaims, “And God knows what she’s going through, because she’s hurting and I’m hurting because I can’t help her.”

Everything's gone

Miller then reveals how desperate the situation was for Ms. Ella and how things were on a knife edge. She says, “By the time she’s paid for the house, the car, insurance and fed six kids, everything is gone.” Furthermore, denying her great-grandchildren Christmas was heart-breaking for Ms. Ella.

Bringing in help

In the video, Ms. Ella elaborates, “I hate to say [we aren’t celebrating Christmas this year]. I say, ‘grandma will see about it.’ I’ve got to pay the bills, you know, first.” But her friend Miller’s letter got through to the people who could help. The Fox5 Surprise Squad then bring some kindly folk with them who are instrumental in turning Ms. Ella’s situation around.

Renovation team

To be specific, Jones introduces Ms. Ella to representatives of two different companies. Bob Cleveland is from the charity Rebuilding Together, which works to renovate and repair buildings in the community. Between 1988 and 2018, the organization’s renovated over 210,000 structures and has over four million volunteers assisting it.

Plumbing problems gone

In addition, Beckie White of Aqua Plumbing accompanies the Surprise Squad. And together, they promise Ms. Ella they will help get her home into shape in their own special ways. For Cleveland’s part, his work will focus on repairing the damage to the great-grandma’s property. And he describes what he would do on the video.

Taking care of it all

“We’re going to take care of all the water issues in the yard,” Cleveland tells Ms. Ella. He continues, “We’re going to fix the leak in the yard [and] we’re going to replace the toilets.” Then White adds, “We’re going to pay the balance of the water bill for you, so you don’t have to worry about it anymore.”

Overcome with joy

Ms. Ella can’t believe what she’s hearing and her mouth drops open in surprise. Then she bursts into tears of joy as she shares hugs with both [Miller] and White. And touchingly, Ms. Ella’s face lights up with a smile of genuine happiness.

Surprise spa day

“I feel good,” Ms. Ella says, laughing heartily. But that’s just the beginning of the Surprise Squad’s gifts, as Jones subsequently reveals. In fact, they’ve also arranged a treat for both her and Ms. Alice. Indeed, Fox5 have arranged a spa day for both women while the team fixes up the senior’s house.

Riding in style

“We want you guys to be able to enjoy each other, reconnect, catch up, spend some time together,” Jones says. And when the reporter leads Ms. Alice and Ms. Ella outside, they discover they’ll be travelling in style. Indeed, a limousine is waiting for the women, driven by a chauffeur holding a beautiful bunch of flowers.

Getting to work

As the limousine takes the ladies away, work begins on Ms. Ella’s property in earnest. Jones says, “Our whole squad is here, even station management. Everybody’s getting their hands dirty, pitching in to give those kids the best Christmas possible.”

Above and beyond

Furthermore, Artie White of Aqua Plumbing says Ms. Ella’s future water bills should be much lower. He adds, “She doesn’t need to be spending all her money on her water bill [and it] should go down somewhere between $35 and $40.” Additionally, the Surprise Squad have even replaced Ms. Ella’s weathered furniture.

All new furnishings

Meanwhile, RC Willey Home Furnishings swings by to supply Ms. Ella with some lovely new home décor. And by the time they’re finished, the great-grandmother’s house looks like an entirely new property. Then the only thing left is to wait for the lady of the hour to come home and witness the Surprise Squad’s incredible work.

Feeling refreshed

After a day in the spa, a refreshed Ms. Ella arrives back to a fanfare of applause from the crowd assembled in her front yard. Fox5 Surprise Squad newcomer Faven Kay meets the great-grandmother, who states she enjoyed her spa day and even got her hair dyed. Kay then informs Ms. Ella, “We fixed the water leak concerns for you, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

Completely overwhelmed

“And we really wanted to spread a little extra Christmas cheer, because you so deserve it,” Kay continues. And with that, the team leads Ms. Ella inside to see what changes they’ve made. But when she walks through the door, the great-grandma is so overcome with emotion she has to sit down and falls into the nearest chair.

Total overhaul

“It’s so beautiful,” an emotional Ms. Ella says through her tears of joy. However, the changes go far beyond the living room, as Kay explains to the stunned great-grandmother. And as Ms. Ella catches her breath, Kay tells her, “As you can see, you have some new furniture and a new TV.”

Christmas for everyone

“Ms. Ella, as you can see, there are also some Christmas presents for all your great-grandkids,” Kay continues. “Along with $500 gift cards for each and every one of them, so you can take them Christmas shopping.” And the reporter highlights a gift on the tree for Ms. Ella herself, too.

Showered with gifts

Kay adds, “And we know you like to cook, right? There’s a $500 Albertson's gift card there for you to make that happen for them.” Yet even being showered with all these gifts, Ms. Ella’s mind is still on her great-grandchildren. She marvels, “Oh, they are going to have a fit.”

So different and so happy

Fox5’s Kay has one question for Ms. Ella: how will this Christmas be different from the previous one? And the latter responds, “The [children] can get what they want and then we’ve got pretty furniture. It was a lot. It will be so different and so happy.” And then comes the Surprise Squad’s final treat.

A final gift

Kay introduces a friend of the network who’s very keen to meet Ms. Ella: Don Forman, co-owner of United Nissan. He asks for a hug from the big-hearted great-grandmother as soon as he sees her and then explains his presence. He’s there to present her with something concealed in the red gift box he carries.

Inside the box

“So, from our family at United Nissan, we’ve got a little gift for you,” Forman says. “We thought this would be fantastic for the holidays.” He subsequently draws Ms. Ella’s attention to the package he placed on the table. He then gestures her to open it and explains its contents as she does.

Mortgage-free year

“So, we’re going to pay for your house for the next year,” Forman then announces. And Miller looks just as surprised as Ms. Ella, who can’t believe what’s happening. She hides her face in her hands before reaching out to the man for another hug. Ms. Ella then adds, “Thank you,” followed by Miller, who says, “That is so wonderful!”

It's about the love

Then when Ms. Ella’s great-grandchildren return home, they can’t believe what’s happened. They look around the house open-mouthed at all the new furniture, then head straight to their great-grandma for a hug. Then, one of the children says of Christmas, “It’s not about the presents, it’s about the love in your family.”

So deserved

And as for the Surprise Squad, they just feel blessed to have been able to help Ms. Ella. Forman adds, “She has love pouring out of her, she lights you up inside. And every word she was saying, I was tearing up because she’s just real, she’s loving and she’s fantastic.”