A small restaurant in Virginia is offering a free meal to people who are “broke,” and they say there are no questions asked about the circumstances. Perfectly Frank calls itself a hot dog joint, but we want to call them a kind of angel (in restaurant form) that had a really great idea. Early in March, the restaurant started a new initiative that they’ve called “Franks for Friends.” The gesture is surprisingly simple. The way it works is that when a customer comes in and pays for a stranger’s meals, they leave a receipt on the board that’s installed in the restaurant.
That’s where the magic happens. When someone is hungry and can’t afford to buy a meal, they come into the restaurant and choose a receipt off of the board. The receipt can then be redeemed for a meal for free. The owner of the restaurant is Tarah Morris, and she wrote on Facebook that at first, she feared people might abuse the special deal and that the demand could become too high for a small restaurant to manage. However, she realized that although it seemed like a risk, helping people should never be a risk. It’s a reward and an honor to help someone else, she said, and she’s completely right.
— Off The Main Page (@offthemainpage) March 20, 2021
She added that during the beginning of the pandemic when things were so scary, many customers donated money and it ended up being about $13,000. This helped them get a head start on feeding people in the community who are less fortunate. Morris admits that it was “intense” when they were trying to juggle so many changes that were going on in the restaurant world, changes that probably every restaurant in the world has felt. Then, in February, a customer left all of the 15 staff members a tip of $100 each, along with an extra $500 that would go towards feeding hungry people in the neighborhood.
— Off The Main Page (@offthemainpage) March 20, 2021
This inspired the team to create “Franks for Friends.” In short, people who need help can get one takeout meal per customer once a day, with no questions asked. Since the restaurant started the initiative, they’ve seen a huge spike in donations, with photos on the company’s Facebook page showing stacks of receipts that are just waiting to go up on the board.
This is an idea anyone can get behind, and we hope to see more of this kind of generosity.
