'I Grew Up Poor And Now I'm Not': Mystery Couple Regularly Picks Up Tabs At Washington Restaurant
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WASHINGTON, Pa. (KDKA) -- A husband and wife sit at the bar at the Applebee's in Washington, Pa.
They are there three or four times a week, and they randomly pick up the tab of some diners. Several people have benefited from their generosity.
Good food, good times, and sometimes, when you least expect it, the meal is taken care of. It happened earlier this week to Jolie Welling. It was her daughter's birthday celebration.
She posted on Facebook, "Thank you to the person that took care of the bill tonight at Applebee's in Washington! This person paid for the whole party of 16. I have never had this happen before and it brought tears to everyone's eyes."
"I was almost in tears," Samantha Powell said. "It touches me, too."
Powell was the server the night of the birthday party.
"They were just so surprised. They were like, 'Oh my god. Who? Who?' and they were looking around and wanted to know who it was, but I would not tell them," she said. "He approached me to tell me to give him the check for that table."
The same thing happened to Darla Pepper-Miller and her group about six months ago. The music director at the Church of the Covenant in Washington was celebrating the birthday of one of the choir members. When time came to pay the bill, they were told it had been taken care of.
"Just gratitude because of everything going on in the world and so much turmoil and protests and hatred," Pepper-Miller said. "It's good to know that there are people that care about each other and give, pay it forward."
Pepper-Miller says now she has begun to pay it forward.
But who are these people?
They own a business in the area, and they have dined and picked up other people's meal tabs for years. It happens two or three times a month.
Applebee's Asst. Manager Bernie Lewis says she's sworn to keep their identities a secret.
"He always says, 'I grew up poor and now I'm not' and that is all he says," Powell said.
But that speaks volumes.