A surprise note left on a car windshield.
After sharing a bottle of wine with her husband and another couple, Paula Grzelak-Schultz decided to leave her car overnight in front of the entryway to Original Joe’s Restaurant & Bar in Sherwood Park, Canada.
Judging that it wouldn’t be a good idea to drive because they’ve had a drink, the couple decided to take an Uber home.
When Paula returned the next day to get her car at the parking lot of the pub, she saw a piece of paper tucked under the windshield wipers. She immediately thought she was in trouble, expecting it to be a ticket for leaving her vehicle in a bar parking lot overnight.
But she was wrong. The piece of paper left on the windshield was actually a thank you note written by Jay McLean, the managing partner at Original Joe’s. The man praised her decision not to drive after having a drink.
He wrote:
“I’m not sure if you had consumed alcohol at our restaurant or not, but we wanted to thank you for not drinking and driving.”
As a sign of appreciation, Jay attached a voucher for chicken wings at their restaurant.
“Please accept this as a thank you for being responsible. Life is valuable, have a great weekend,” Jay wrote.
Paula was touched, and at the same time, surprised that she was being rewarded for making a sound decision.
“I was sure it was going to be a ticket or a scolding from someone for leaving my vehicle there for so long,” Paula told CBS News. “I was truly surprised and so pleased that the manager took the time to acknowledge my good judgement.”
She decided to share the pub manager’s note that they left on her car’s windshield. It went viral, garnering 22,000 likes and 8,600 shares.
“Wow! I’m so impressed. Definitely going back,” Paula wrote. “Not just because of the voucher, but because of how well this guy treats his patrons.”
Speaking to Global News, Jay said:
“With OJ’s, it’s all about community and I thought this was the perfect way to impact my community. They came here and they chose to spend some of their few precious free minutes with us. I just hope they feel appreciated and thanked for not getting behind the wheel.”
A week later, Paula went back to the pub to personally thank the manager for his kindness. She discovered that she wasn’t the only patron to receive the letter. As it turns out, Jay had been this for his customers for over a year with absolutely no expectations.
The business eventually responded to the viral post through their own Facebook page:
With all of this, Paula wants to remind people that “just because you’re not drunk that doesn’t mean that you’re not impaired.”
She added:
“Even a drink can impair your judgement while behind the wheel. So I want people to be mindful of that next time they get behind the wheel after even just one drink.”
You are absolutely right, Paula! Hopefully, more people will realize that “drinking and driving” is never okay, no matter how little alcohol they had.
Jay and the rest of the team at Original Joe’s deserve all the praise for reinforcing this behavior among their clients. It really is an effective way of relaying an important message that could save lives.
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