All of us gets excited when we know that we have a reservation at a restaurant for dinner. The feeling of munching on some of the city's best delicacies and exotic dishes give us a watery mouth. But imagine what will happen if the dinner you have been looking forward to since the entire day is not served? What if the restaurant denies you the table you have reserved? Annoyed? Of course, any one of us would be.
This is an incident from KateBradford's life. She and her two young daughters went out for dinner to celebrate Kate's father's birthday. Even after a reservation, they were denied access to a booth at the restaurant. Why? Read on to know what exactly happened with the family that night...
Both of them were hungry. All day they were eager to eat some delicious food at the restaurant. They were empty stomach and now all they wanted was food. Kate recalled, "they both were growing irritable due to hunger. Any time they would now cry of hunger". Her kids were too young to understand the rules of the food junction, but even Kate was losing her cool.
Cole was 6 years old and Maddi was only 3 years. For kids this young in age, controlling hunger is a tough thing. One can't expect that they would be able to wait patiently. When Kate asked the waitress as to how long will it take, what she said made matters worse.
Kate Bradford was a single mother looking after her equally young daughters Maddi and Cole. Life has always been challenging for the woman, as managing everything single-handedly never came easy. However, they were living a peaceful life and was doing great. One day...
It was Kate's father's birthday and she wanted to make it special for her dad. Moreover, for all such special occasions, she and her daughters along with her parents would dine out together. And that day Kate reserved a table for all of them at Texas Roadhouse for 6 PM. It was a renowned eatery and even nearby to her place. But...
Dining with children was a nightmare for Kate. This was mostly because people often complained about kids being cranky and not letting others eat at the restaurant. Not only this but at times they would also be super excited running from one place to another and you have no choice than leaving your meal and running after them. While she thought it would be easy tonight, it wasn't as she'd hoped.
As a mother, Kate was very responsible. She was always prepared for the worst. She would carry diapers, toys, biscuits and other stuff that her daughters might need, wherever they go. However, that day she was not that prepared. She thought going for dinner didn't need many preparations but they actually do.
Kate was happy that they could make to the restaurant a little before the estimated time. She reached 15 minutes before and hoped that as space did not appear to be that busy, she would get the table easily and they could be seated properly. Little did she know how things were going to turn out soon.
The hostess received Kate. She greeted them and asked how she may help them. The waitress was happy to see Kate but the moment she saw her two daughters she frowned. After seeing her reaction, Kate was ready to retaliate. She knew what she would speak if the woman said anything regarding dining with her kids at the restaurant.
Kate told the waitress "We have a reservation". The woman checked the booking schedule and there was Kate's name. While Kate was expecting to be directed to the dining area, the waitress took them to the waiting area and told them, as they were quite early, they'll have to wait till the tables clear. But none knew then, how long this wait will last for.
Kate thought it was fair on the waitress' part that she asked them to wait. But Cole grew impatient of hunger. She would clench her fist and would scream "I'm hungry mommy". But she made her realize that they can't eat until their grandparents turned up. Yet, what she saw next made her also angry.
That night, the bar was full of men who were busy watching a game over the television. In order to escape from any mess, Kate took Cole and Maddi to another place in the corner. As time passed by, the ten minutes of wait turned into a twenty-minute one and by now even Kate was losing her calm. She decided to ask the hostess and came across a disturbing realization.
The same moment Kate called her father, Jole who wasn't here yet. He was stuck in traffic and was running a little late. As Kate went towards the hostess, Cole needed to use the restroom and Kate had to accompany her. While passing the alley at the restaurant, she realized that the woman had completely lied to her.
Kate discovered that while all the booths were occupied, there was one booth in the corner which was vacant. Initially, she thought there must have been a mistake, but when she closely saw there was none sitting there. If the place was vacant then why did the waitress asked the family to wait. What was the matter?
Kate said to herself that the restaurant claims to be a family restaurant but with their actions, they were clearly proving the opposite. Even after having a place, they asked her and her young kids to wait. Moreover, this was when they already had a reservation. Outraged, Kate took it to the immediate waitress she came across.
Kate turned to the nearest waitress and questioned her about the same. She told that it wasn't right to make them wait after having a place for them to sit. By now, Maddi started to show her childish tantrums. She would stamp on the floor loudly and cry. Kate knew she was hungry and so was Cole.
Kate leads the waitress to that empty booth. She said, "See right there in the corner, you have an empty booth". She complained about their terrible service. She had prior experience of such bad service due to her disruptive children but this was extreme. Clearly, why was the family denied access to that booth?
The waitress grew nervous. She was trying to explain Kate the situation, but the annoyed mother wouldn't listen. The waitress stammered and almost spilled food she had in plates as Kate dragged her to the empty booth. As they reached the booth, Kate saw that it was she who was at fault. The table had no occupants, but still, it wasn't empty.
The table read "Reserved". Kate would have been sorry for her behavior but the very moment she saw that the table had been properly set, places were defined and meal served. But there weren't any guests. All she said was, "Is this reserved for ghosts?"
When Kate came to know what those men for whom this table was reserved had gone through, she thanked the Lord for blessing her in all the times. These men had gone through something terrible and in front of their problems, Kate's problems were very small. What had happened to the guests of that table?
The table was set for five men. In the middle of the table along with a vase was kept a miniature American Flag. There was one more flag hanging along the wall and a candle was lit by its side. After making a note of the situation, Kate's heart saddened with pain and despair. There was a letter framed which brought her to tears.
The table was set as a tribute to the five men who would never enter the restaurant to have their meal in that booth. They would never turn up again ever. It was a sad moment and the table was laid in their memory. Kate felt guilty of accusing the staff at the restaurant.
The letter which was framed read the names of the fallen officers. It read, “We remember and honor the five slain police officers, Sergeant Michael J. Smith, Officer Michael Krol, Officer Patrick Zamarripa, Senior Corporal Lorne Ahrens, and Mr. Brent Thompson, who worked for the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Police Department, that the Texas Roadhouse restaurant reserved a table for. We thank you for your service. May you rest in peace.”
Kate stood there motionless. She had tears in her eyes. Cole and Maddi looked at her quietly. The kids could not understand how grim the situation was. The next moment Kate's father, Jole walks in. He apologizes to Kate for being late and then only a waitress also comes towards them.
The waitress said, "Bradford? Table for four? Your table is ready" Finally, Kate, her kids, and her father sat on a neat table which was set for them. Kate was so depressed that she forgot how hungry her kids were. She knew that there was something she had no clues about. She asked her dad, "Who are Dallas 5"?
Her father told her that Dallas 5 were the five brave police officers who died while serving their country. This accident took place on July 7, 2016, when a man named Micah Xavier Johnson ran away and fired shots over a group of officers in Dallas, Texas.
The Texas Roadhouse restaurant also decided to donate 5% of their sales on that day to the Assist Officer Foundation which was run by Dallas Police Association and was helping the families of the officers who died in the tragedy. And then Kate did her bit.
Kate clicked the picture of the booth the Texas Roadhouse restaurant reserved for the officers and shared it over her Facebook page. There were a lot of shares and comments over her post. And it was then she realized that it wasn't the first time that The Texas Roadhouse did something like this.
One commenter on Kate's post wrote “…I’ve even seen Wounded Warrior reserved parking spaces at the restaurant in Altoona, PA. They are by far my favorite restaurant, not just for the great food, but the patriotism and professionalism they constantly show!” The restaurant has been putting its best foot forward and fulfilling its social responsibility.
Texas Roadhouse restaurant chain across entire America have been treating the fallen officers and the veterans alike. They not only reserve tables for them but even offer food at specially discounted prices. Even if it might affect their profits, the restaurant has been showing their respect for the brave officers like this.
We as civilians often forget that today we are safe and are enjoying the meal with our family because of the officers who have been protecting us and ensuring the safety of the citizens. The gestures like that of Texas Roadhouse remind us to acknowledge and value what all these men are doing for us.