When Makenzie and Steven Shultz went out to a sushi restaurant for their anniversary dinner in 2014, they were pretty disappointed with the restaurant and the service.

It wasn’t the romantic date they had planned for.

The Iowa couple reported that the service was horrible and it took them 20 minutes to get a glass of water.

Their reaction to the disastrous dinner went viral for all the right reasons.

Understanding the situation

People have pretty crappy attitudes when they go out to eat – and frankly, it ALWAYS says more about them than it does about a restaurant or server.

The Shultz’s reaction told us all we need to know.

Not only did they leave their waiter a huge tip, but they wrote a thoughtful note on the receipt.

When Mrs. Schultz reported about the incident later on Facebook, she began:

“So here’s the deal. Our service tonight sucked. Took 20 minutes to get water, 40 minutes for an appetizer and over an hour for our entree. People all around us were making fun of the restaurant & how bad the service was. Yeah, it was pretty terrible.”

But she was also clear that the couple knew precisely what was going on. And it wasn’t about them.

“…it was very obvious that the issue was being short staffed, not the server. He was running around like crazy and never acted annoyed with any table. At one point we counted he had 12 tables plus the bar. More than any one person could handle!”

Empathy wins

Both Makenzie and Steven know what it’s like to be servers at a restaurant. Mrs. Shultz told TODAY.com that she and her husband actually met while waiting tables at the same place.

So, despite the slow service, they felt empathy for the waiter who was in a difficult situation but trying his best.

“As I sat there and watched him run back & forth and apologize for the wait, I said to Steven… Wow, this used to be us. Waiting tables. I don’t miss it at all and I never loved that job. I did it for the tips.”

In the kind of moment we so rarely see these days when people act so entitled, they decided to respond with kindness.

Mrs. Shultz explained:

“Steven and I agreed it would feel good to make this guys night when he would probably be getting minimal to no tips due to slow service.”

Their bill came to $66.65. They left a generous $100 tip for the busy waiter.

And they saw no reason to wait around to be thanked – they left before the waiter saw the tip with the note: “We’ve both been in your shoes. Paying it forward.:)”

In addition to explaining the story, Mrs. Shultz posted a photo of the receipt on Facebook. However, it wasn’t for “a pat on the back.”

She concluded her post:

“I’m just sharing this as a friendly reminder to think of the entire situation, before you judge. And always always always remember where you came from.”

Be sure to scroll down below to see the original viral post.

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Source: Facebook – Makenzie Schultz, TODAY.com