You never know what's going to happen during your next outing. These people share when karma decided to hit in the best, sometimes worst, way possible while eating or dining out.
(Content has been edited for clarity.)
Finders Keepers
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“I ordered nachos bell grande at Taco Bell, as did the man immediately behind me in line. We waited together for our food to get done when they called my number, and he grabbed my food. He looked at me and said, ‘You ordered the same thing as me, but I’m in a hurry, so you can just take mine when it’s ready.’
This guy didn’t care what I had going on, he was in a suit and a tie, and I was in my construction work clothes. He took one step toward the door and slipped on something on the floor, spilling his drink and my nachos all over his shirt and jacket.
That was the moment they called his number. I picked up his nachos, thanked him, and walked out the door.”
Being Lazy And Selfish Is Never A Good Look
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“Was leaving the grocery store about 10 years ago.
It was really rainy and very windy. I got into my car and saw a lady get into her car after leaving her grocery cart just pushed away from her car a little bit.
The cart corral was just a couple space over but she didn’t want to bother. This always drives me crazy because of its laziness and selfishness.
Well, she pulls out and has to stop for a minute at the end of the lane because cars are coming.
A long heavy gust of wind grabs her cart and it rolls close to 60 feet, gaining momentum, before slamming right into the side of her car. I could see the dent it made from halfway across the lot.
It was as if God grabbed the cart and rolled it into her to teach to put it up next time.”
Footing The Bill For This Jerk Father Turned Into The Greatest Reward
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“I was out for dinner with my wife and her dad. He’s a bit of a jerk to her. He got divorced and re-married and loves those kids more than he loves my wife.
At the end of dinner, my father-in-law offered to pay for the meal. OK, that’s nice. My wife asked to get her leftovers boxed to take them home. He started with, ‘Well, you’ll just leave them in the fridge, then they’ll just get thrown out.’
I told him, ‘Listen, it’s not your fridge, leave her alone.’
He got all mad and said, ‘Don’t tell me how to raise my daughter!’
I replied, ‘Then don’t speak to my wife that way!’
He threw the bill at me and said, ‘FINE! YOU PAY THEN’ and stormed out.
Everyone is upset. My wife was saying, ‘Why did you have to start something?’ I paid the bill and was waiting for the receipt. We were waiting for at least 10 minutes. Tensions were rising, and her dad was waiting outside building up steam and ready to blow once we get outside. I asked the waiter, ‘Can I just get our bill and go?’ ‘Oh no sir, you have to wait for the manager.’
It turns out they had a contest where ‘every bill is a winner.’ Normally you’d win a free drink or appetizer with your next meal. Well, we won the GRAND PRIZE: a trip for four to Florida.
Whoever paid received the prize.”
His Act Of Kindness Helped Him Through The Roughest Period Of His Life
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“At one point in my life, I sold furniture and was horrible at it. It was a rough time in my life where I made $1,000 a month and had nothing left after rent and bills. There were a lot of times when I didn’t eat for days because I couldn’t afford to eat that much.
One day, I was trying to sell furniture, but with no success. It was nearing the end of the day, and I had made $0. An old couple came in to look at TV stands. All the other sales reps avoided them because we all knew that they were going to take up a bunch of time, end up buying something for around $100, and then your commission was going to be $2 with no add-ons because who in their right mind would purchase a $29.99 extended warranty on a $100 item.
I looked at them and figured if I could sell anything, at least I wouldn’t get skunked, and maybe my luck would turn around after that. They ended up buying two stands but asked how they would be put together. They were old and couldn’t do it. There was a service I could have referred them to (for a fee of course), but I was desperate and didn’t want to lose the sale, especially after having spent around 45 minutes with them. So I said, ‘I’m off at 6 p.m. If you come pick me up, I’ll come install the stands for you for free.’ They took the offer, paid for the furniture, and left.
The other sales reps laughed at me. They laughed at me more when my quitting time came around, and I hadn’t sold anything else. The old couple picked me up promptly at 6 p.m. As we drove to their house, I found out that he was a retired judge and she had always been a housewife. We got into their beautiful condo which was bigger than a lot of houses. I began working on assembling the furniture.
I could smell some food cooking and tried to ignore it (I hadn’t eaten in about 3 days at that point, so it was hard); I worked for almost 3 hours straight until it was done. I then moved the finished product into position and then moved their TV’s for them.
I was trying to politely excuse myself from their home and thanked them for their purchase when the old lady grabbed me and took me to the kitchen, where she sat me at the table and pulled out a plate of freshly made roast beef. That was better than any money. I was grateful as I held back tears and ate the delicious home-cooked meal she had prepared for me.
I thanked them again for all that they had done for me and was about to leave to try and find my way home on the bus at a late hour, but the old man stopped me and offered me a ride home. The old lady packed up the rest of the roast beef and told me to keep the Tupperware. They both came for the ride and I couldn’t stop thanking them for helping me.
As the car stopped, and I got out and thanked them one more time, the lady handed me an envelope. I didn’t open it; I just thanked them. I happily went up to my apartment knowing that I was going to sleep with a full stomach that night and that I would get to eat for the next few days. I was feeling great. I opened the envelope and there was a thank you card with a $100 bill inside. I cried like a little girl.
After that, for the rest of the time that I sold furniture, I always ran to help the people nobody else wanted to. I changed my focus from getting a big sale every day to getting all of the small ones nobody cared about and it got me through until I found a better paying job.”
Patience Is A Virtue
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“My company has a cafeteria in the building and I’m in line at the grill. This guy just blatantly cuts in front of about 5 people and places his order, a Turkey Bacon Swiss Melt. I was next in line and decide since I’m at work to say nothing and just let it go. Another cafeteria employee comes over to help the guy working the grill and takes my order, which is also a Turkey Bacon Swiss Melt.
So the initial grill cook sees the second guy start making the melt and takes the next persons order and the next until everyone in line has placed their order. The guy who cut is now waiting for his melt too which the initial grill cook never started making because he saw the second guy making one for me. So I and everyone behind me all get our food before the guy who cut who ends up waiting an additional 5-10 minutes.”
This Abusive Mom Got A Taste Of Her Own Medicine
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“I was in a grocery store one time. There’s this chick, SUPER skinny, pushing a cart with her toddler in it. I mean, like addict skinny; she just had that look, you know?
The kid is upset about something. She’s yelling at him to shut up and of course, it’s not working. Because obviously, the one thing that calms a toddler down is to yell in their face.
I’m further down the aisle, doing that ‘looking but trying not to look like I’m looking thing’ you know? Because really, how can you ignore something like that?
So my brain is ping-ponging between ‘I should really say something’ and ‘but it’s not my business,’ when she hauls off to slap the kid.
I snap my head around, any pretense of not watching this scene utterly gone. But of course, I’m much too far away to actually do anything. All I can do is watch as her hand swings way, way back, building up for the mother of all slaps.
And then I watch as she swings so hard that her feet actually slip out from under her on the tile floor and she crashes backward into the shelves behind her, totally missing the kid.
I remember her head bouncing, bam-bam-bam, three times as she thunked down each shelf.
The kid just kind of looked down at her, clearly having no idea what was happening. But hey, it did get the kid to quiet down…”
This Racist Waitress Missed Out Big
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“One Saturday afternoon, we had just opened the doors to the restaurant when an Indian couple walked in. It was the other server’s turn to be seated, but once she saw the ethnicity of these guests, she told me in an awful tone that I could take them.
Their bill was cheap, so I was admittedly annoyed when I opened the check presenter to find a $100 bill. I politely told them to give me just a few minutes to get change and head off to do that. I got back to the table, and they handed me another $100 bill. I was about to get frustrated, as people always tried to get us to break big bills for them since we were near a casino. But before I could open my mouth, the man told me that it was for me and thanked me for excellent service.”
Couldn’t Keep His Cool
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“My buddy and I were having a drink on a large wooden deck patio at an oceanside bar when a middle-aged couple sat next to us. Picture the following: a pretentious guy with slicked back black hair, goatee, and lots of jewelry; the woman had lots of work done, lots of jewelry, lots of big hair, but she seemed more pleasant than her husband.
Our tables were right next to each other, and they were rather close to us. As my buddy and I were just taking in the view, he made eye contact with the guy and said ‘good evening.’
The guy said, ‘Mind your own business and keep your eyes to yourself.’
Now at this point, my buddy and I look at each other with sort of a ‘did that just happen expression.’ My buddy looks back over at him and says something like, ‘relax buddy, sorry to bother you’ or something similar.
At this point, we were a little put off that the guy could so be so nasty so effortlessly. In any event, we went back to our drinks and enjoyed the sunset.
Two minutes later, the guy pulled out a ring for the woman. I got a good look at it, and it was a big one, a large diamond. I don’t think this was a proposition for marriage or anything, but she was clearly excited, and he had a smug, self-satisfied look on his face. She went to hand it back to him, and when he grabbed for it, he fumbled it, and it fell to the deck, rolled an inch or two, and then promptly disappeared, falling between two slats of the deck.
I felt bad for the lady, but the guy was like a pot about to boil over. His face went white, and then immediately flushed red. He was barely able to maintain his composure. It looked like he wanted to strike the woman. He was fidgeting and exhibiting tics, all the while trying to maintain his composure. He was failing.
My buddy and I caught the whole exchange. The guy looked over at us, and we are looking straight at him. We weren’t laughing or pointing, just smiling casually. I felt bad for the woman. The man called a waiter over and started discretely explaining to him what happened. We couldn’t hear this part of the conversation, but as it went on, he became louder and more animated. Apparently, he wanted someone to pull up the deck slats. That was not going to happen. Despite the guy raging, the waiter flatly told him something to the effect of ‘Look, man, you can come back tomorrow and talk to the manager, or pay your bill and leave now.’
The guy sat down, and his lady friend was visibly shaken.
My friend and I, enjoying our drinks and the sunset, remarked about how karma, while certainly inspiring, is almost magical when it’s instant.”
“An Orange?”
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“I was getting into my car in the post office parking lot, and I juuuuust touched the car to my right with my door. The two young men sitting inside glared at me. I took a look at their door, and no visible dent or scratch appeared.
The guys pull out, blocking me in, and threw an orange at my car. ‘An orange?’ you think. Yes, an orange. I could not make that up. He speeds off toward the road, giving me the finger along the way.
Shortly after, I heard a loud screeching brakes sound and a BOOM. I drove over to it, and sure enough, the orange-thrower hit another car, leaving pretty decent damage on both vehicles.
I make my way to the road slowly, pointing and laughing as I pass the scene. I am given the middle finger one last time before going about my merry business.”
They Felt Like A Higher Being Was Looking At Their Kind Actions
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“I was at Wal-Mart, and the lady in front of me was buying a bag of dry beans and some baby food, but she didn’t have enough money in her food stamp account. I said let me buy that for you. I was a little annoyed at the cashier because when I said that, she said, with a smart-aleck attitude, ‘You don’t have to do that, she gets more money tomorrow, she can come back then and buy it.’
I said I didn’t care if she can come back tomorrow. She’s obviously buying food for her family, and they may need that tonight. The next day my wife got a job offer that would give her a significant raise, solving our financial problems. The two events may not be related, but it was close enough for me to think something else was at work there.”
If You Don’t Have Anything Nice To Say
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“I was waiting on a group of women at a restaurant, and there were being total pieces of garbage. They ate all of their appetizers and told me they ‘tasted like crap’ and were ‘nasty.’ I didn’t give it to them for free, so when they left, they dumped their leftover drinks and salsa all over the table. I didn’t catch them doing this, but before I noticed I saw one come back in and pick her phone up off the table.
So she dumped water, margarita, and salsa all over her phone, one that didn’t have a waterproof case. That felt good.”
Screaming Gets You Nowhere
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“Woman comes to the counter at a fast food restaurant and berates me for under-cooking her beef patty. The patties are all cooked on a timer, and the meat looked normal. She nagged and complained for at least twenty minutes. Finally, we remade her entire order and handed her the tray. She screams some more, turns around, and then immediately trips and falls, all of her food and drink spilling everywhere.
It was quite comical.”
“Pay It Forward, People”
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“My wife and I took our kids out to a popular restaurant one night. We had been biking and looked dirty, but we had such a good time that day I didn’t notice or think of cleaning up before going out for a quick meal.
We were no sooner seated when a waitress came up and handed me an envelope with a $100 gift certificate from ‘some people who thought we could use it.’ I ran out of the restaurant to the parking lot and found the couple who gave us the card and tried to give it back and thank them as we were not hurting for money. They wouldn’t hear of it.
So karma is karma, and I went to the cashier and traded the $100 gift certificate in for two $50 cards and then purchased two more. At the end of our meal, I walked around with two of my kids and let them choose who to give the four $50 gift certificates to. When questioned, I simply replied, ‘pay it forward.’
I hope at least one person did so. I’d like to imagine everyone standing in line for gift certificates, screaming, ‘TAKE MY MONEY,’ and handing them out as they left the restaurant.”
It Pays To Be Kind
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“I go through periods of insomnia, and I have stayed up through countless nights over the years. One night a couple of years ago, I went to a 7-11. On the way out, I saw this homeless guy I called Hobo Joe. I had seen him around my town for years. I see him, and as usual, he was begging for change. I didn’t mind helping this guy out because he didn’t spend it on substances; he legitimately needed food. I went back inside and bought him two microwave hamburgers, and heated them up. I gave him the burgers and proceeded to Tropical Smoothie.
I parked the car and opened the door, looked down and what do I see? A fresh $20 on the white line of the parking spot. I come back out of Tropical Smoothie and as I approach my car, what do I find? Another $20. In the exact same spot. I checked my pocket, the first one was still there.”
“You Never Know Who Is A Millionaire”
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“We went out with my uncle and his family for dinner at a nice restaurant in Dallas. There were seven of us eating, and we were all drinking and trying to see how much we spent on one dinner. This increasingly wasted guy from the bar kept coming up to our table and making conversation, commenting on my 6-month-old son. He started to get annoying, and my uncle was discussing with us whether or not he should say something, but we told him not to worry about it.
So when it came time to pay our bill the waiter said, ‘Have a nice evening, thanks for coming in.’ My uncle and I were confused and asked the waiter about the check. He told us that the guy that kept coming up to us paid our tab and that it was already done and nothing we could do about it. He even told us that the guy did that all the time. Our bill was $1,500. My uncle sought the guy out and gave him a big hug, and the guy just said, ‘You have such a beautiful family, pay it forward sometime.’ The guy even gave the waiter a generous tip based on the look the waiter gave us. I learned to always be nice to the loud guy at the bar; you never know who is a millionaire.”
This Rude Server Tried To Take His Anger To The Streets
“It was about 10 p.m. when my sister, my ex, my friend, and I decided to go for curry. We called up the curry house to make sure they were okay with us coming in so late, and the owner said it wouldn’t be a problem. Great, or so we thought.
As soon as we got there, we were greeted by the owner, who seated us. It quickly became obvious that the guy serving us didn’t want to be there. We brushed it off. He then started throwing our plates down and being obnoxious, so we talked to the owner. This, of course, made things worse. The server proceeded to be even ruder, but there wasn’t much we could do. We left the restaurant and shrugged the whole thing off.
Who did I see driving up behind me on the way home? You guessed it, that cruel server. He must’ve seen me get in my car. He pulled up beside me when we stopped at a traffic light. He was swearing and showing me a rather impressive display of hand gestures. We ignored it, but he was starting to tick me off. The light changed green, and he sped off like a lunatic trying to run me off the road swerving all over the shop. Sadly, he failed to notice the cop car that had pulled up behind me at the light. I’m sure you can imagine what happened next; on go the lights and the sirens. They pulled him over and arrested him. We drove off into the night barely able to contain the euphoria from the instant karma.
I never saw him at the curry house again. I assume he got fired!”
