Liverpool Echo/Family HandoutTwo parents were left overwhelmed after finding an incredible note written on their receipt by staff when they went out for a meal.
Geoff Munns, 65, and his wife Carol, 61, recently decided to treat themselves to a well-earned date night at Pizza Express, following days of tireless work over the festive period.
The father, who works as a chef at Arrowe Park Hospital, was unable to spend time with his family as he was on shift for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve, during which time he fed thousands of patients who faced Christmas in hospital.
Liverpool Echo/Family HandoutFollowing one of Geoff’s shifts, he and Carol visited the Italian restaurant in New Brighton for a meal, before they went to watch a film at the cinema.
The couple ordered three courses and a bottle of wine, and as they were being served they struck up a conversation about working in the food industry with the person serving them.
The Pizza Express worker said they expected to have a busy night as a number of large parties had booked in for end of year celebrations. Geoff sympathised with the worker and explained his own situation, telling them he knew ‘what it’s like to make a lot of meals.’
PixabayRecalling the evening to the Liverpool Echo, Geoff said:
I said I’d made about 500 breakfasts on Christmas Day. We were just making chit chat with each other.
After finishing their meal, the couple asked for the bill and were shocked to receive a piece of paper which read: ‘this one’s on us’.
On the other side of the receipt, a handwritten note read:
Since you spent your Christmas feeding others at the hospital, tonight we want to treat you.
Liverpool Echo/Family HandoutAt first, Geoff and Carol believed they were being treated to one particular aspect of the meal, like their coffee or dessert, or that perhaps there’d been some kind of offer on that they weren’t aware of, but they were overwhelmed when they learned the extent of the staff’s generosity.
Geoff explained:
They said, ‘no, all of the bill’.
I could not believe it, it was really, really good of them.
Carol had a couple of tears coming out, but it was happy tears to think that someone could actually be that generous. I would like to say thank you to them and say how happy we were.
Liverpool Echo/Family HandoutA spokesperson for Pizza Express commented:
When our team overheard of the incredible work that Mr Munns undertook this Christmas, we wanted to show our appreciation by footing the bill.
We value all of our customers and pride ourselves on giving back where we can.
Geoff’s hard work certainly deserved to be recognised, and Pizza Express did a lovely job in doing so.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.