What They Wrote Was Unbelievable
It’s not easy to run a restaurant. Despite this, Apollo was always proud of his Kilimandjaro restaurant in Middlesbrough. This was one business owner who always treated his employees and customers with respect. When three guys from out of town came in for some chicken, they left without paying. Apollo was enraged by their actions and received a letter from them later…
What They Wrote Was Unbelievable
The Restaurant
Kilimandjaro was a popular place for soccer fans who went to watch Middlesbrough F.C. play over the weekend to eat after the game.
Waka Waka Chicken was one of the restaurant’s signature dishes.
The Restaurant
A Regular Weekend
Customers were flocking in droves, and service was running smoothly that day.
Apollo, to be honest, wasn’t even there. He was having a good time with his family, completely oblivious to what was going on in his restaurant. He had no idea that something unexpected was about to happen and that he’d be getting a rather awkward phone call from the manager.
A Regular Weekend
Everything seemed normal for Apollo and his Kilimandjaro team for the first few hours of that busy weekend shift.
Three Men Showed Up
Three guys walked through the restaurant’s doors midway through that busy weekend shift, clearly interested in sitting down and eating some food.
There’s a good chance they came from out of town and were fans of the away team. At the very least, the staff could detect a difference in their accents. It wasn’t long before they were attended to by a waiter who took their orders.
Three Men Showed Up
Enjoying The Lunch
The three friends, on the other hand, were glad they had chosen Kilimandjaro.
Waka Waka Chicken with cheese was enjoyed by two of the friends, while Waka Waka Chicken without cheese was enjoyed by the third. The staff could tell these three guys were enjoying every bite based on their lack of conversation.
Enjoying The Lunch
It’s always a risk to walk into a restaurant you’ve never been to before and place an order.
A Mystery Sauce
The sauce on the table the friends were eating at was one of the things the friends couldn’t get over.
At first glance, they noticed that the bottle’s logo and colors were similar to those of another well-known chicken restaurant, Nando’s. However, as soon as they tasted it, they realized that it had a distinct flavor, and they continued to enjoy their delectable meal.
A Mystery Sauce
Cards Aren’t Accepted
The three pals were prepared to pay for their meals.
Tom, Alex, and Harry reached for their credit cards and handed them over as the waiter approached their table. However, they were caught off guard when the waiter informed them that they could only pay in cash.
Cards Aren’t Accepted
The total cost of the food was £35, which is about $43 in today’s money. The waiter then went to another table to take orders.
Leaving The Restaurant
They had failed to pay for their food and had vanished without a trace.
Tom, Alex, and Harry had simply gotten up from their table and walked out of the restaurant.
Leaving The Restaurant
When the waiter returned to their table to collect their cash payment, they were surprised to find it empty.
It Left Him Confused
Apollo was completely perplexed when the waiter explained what had happened.
He couldn’t understand how, in today’s world, a group of friends could walk into a restaurant, place their orders, eat their meals, and then leave without paying.
It Left Him Confused
The truth is that Apollo has been on a long journey throughout his life and has experienced many ups and downs.
The Land Of Honest People
Apollo explained in an interview with Gazette Live that his birth country, Burkina Faso, literally translates to “The Land of Honest People.
” Apollo has always valued the virtue of honesty, having spent his formative years in the West African country, and he brought that value with him when he moved to the United Kingdom years ago.
The Land Of Honest People
Taking Drastic Measures
In fact, he admitted that the incident caused him to lose some faith in humanity.
As a result, in order to prevent this from happening again, he advised his employees that if something similar happened again, they should make sure that the customers stayed until they paid.
Taking Drastic Measures
Apollo had strong feelings about what had happened at his restaurant because of his reputation as a trustworthy individual.
No Hope
After a few days, there was still no sign that the three gentlemen would return to pay for their meal.
With each passing day, the owner’s hopes of them returning dwindled.
No Hope
Apollo made it a point to stay at the restaurant at all times, just in case Tom, Alex, or Harry showed up.
An Unexpected Letter
As soon as the waiter entered, he informed Apollo that he had a letter for him that he needed to read right away.
The staff member was clearly familiar with the contents of the letter and was eager for Apollo to see what was inside. The owner snatched the envelope from his waiter’s hands, intrigued by what it might contain.
An Unexpected Letter
It Had $50!
The owner told Gazette Live, “We open the envelope, there’s some money.
” It wasn’t long before it was revealed that the money had been sent by Tom, Alex, and Harry, the three men who had fled the restaurant just days before.
It Had $50!
Apollo was surprised to find £40 (approximately $50) in notes fall out of the envelope onto his desk as he opened it.
They Were Sorry
One of them wrote, “It is my companions’ and [my] sincerest apologies…we forgot to pay our bill.” “It was very unlike us, which is why we are very remorseful.” Despite this, Apollo was skeptical about their sincerity.
They Were Sorry
Apollo could tell right away when he started reading the letter that all three of the friends were deeply sorry for leaving the restaurant without paying for their meals.
They Planned On Paying
They simply did not have any money on them. They were looking for a way to get some money.
They explained that they wanted to pay with a credit card but were told that the restaurant only accepts cash payments. This explains why they left the restaurant without saying anything.
They Planned On Paying
Despite not indicating that they intended to pay for their food that day, the three friends reassured Apollo that they did so sincerely.
They Looked For An ATM
They wrote, “We then exited Kilimanjaros to embark on a search.
They even claimed to have made an agreement with a member of staff to go out and get money from a machine and return as soon as possible.
They Looked For An ATM
After learning from the waiter that the restaurant does not accept credit cards, the three friends decided to rush out and find the nearest ATM machine.
A Ride To Catch
“This diverted our attention away from finding an A.T.M.
machine and led to us running down to the train station and just making our train,” they wrote. The group only realized they had forgotten to pay the check at that point.
A Ride To Catch
The three friends realized the last train back home was about to depart despite spending the next half hour looking for an ATM.
Not From Nearby
They wouldn’t be able to return to the restaurant and apologize the way they’d hoped because they weren’t from Middlesbrough.
Not From Nearby
They were writing a letter to Apollo instead of coming all the way back to the restaurant to pay him in person because they lived in another part of the country.
They Loved The Restaurant
They stated that they would get on TripAdvisor as soon as possible and leave a glowing review.
Tom, Alex, and Harry also told him that they had such a good time at Kilimandjaro that they wanted to give it a five-star rating.
They Loved The Restaurant
While reading the group’s explanation was humbling for Apollo; it wasn’t all they shared with him.
Faith In Humanity Restored
Apollo was “absolutely gobsmacked” after reading the letter, according to him. “It was really, really surprising [and] shocking when we first received the letter,” he said.
As far as the owner was concerned, he couldn’t believe people could still do such things. He said, “I thought those kinds of people had disappeared from the planet.” And, despite hailing from the “Land of Honest People,” Apollo has come to believe that there are honest people everywhere.
Faith In Humanity Restored
Did They Return?
Despite the fact that the letter restored Apollo’s faith in humanity, there is no evidence that the three friends ever met him in person on Kilimandjaro.
They did, however, appear to be true to their word and left a five-star review on TripAdvisor. They wrote, “I would highly recommend to anyone in the area and would definitely return if I ever found myself in Middlesbrough again.
Did They Return
No Longer Open
Tom, Alex, and Harry’s long journey back to Middlesbrough appears to have been in vain. This is because Apollo’s restaurant has been permanently closed since the incident.
The reason for the restaurant’s closure is unknown, but other locations across the country appear to be operating normally.
No Longer Open
Feeling Blessed
However, it doesn’t appear that the businessman took long to get back out there.
Apollo was busy posting photos of himself and his family online just days after receiving the bad news. He could be seen driving his car in one of the photos, and he captioned it with two simple words: “Feeling blessed.
Feeling Blessed
There’s no denying Apollo must have been disappointed when he had no choice but to close his restaurant.
Nowhere To Go But Up
Not only does the businessman make his own sauce, but he is also the chairman of Thornaby FC, a soccer team. Apollo has made contact with well-known soccer players as a result of his recent business ventures. One thing is certain: this ambitious man’s future appears to be bright.
Nowhere To Go But Up
Although Tom, Alex, and Harry will be unable to return to Apollo’s restaurant to express their gratitude in person, they will be relieved to learn that he is happy and prospering.
Working Hard For His Family
At the end of the day, Apollo’s main motivation for being such a successful businessman is to ensure that his family has everything they require.
He also wants his partner and children to be extremely happy, as well as to inspire his children to be as ambitious as he is. We have no doubt that they will grow up to follow in their father’s footsteps after hearing stories like this one.
Working Hard For His Family
Jackie and her husband were going through a rough patch in their marriage. Jackie had recently given birth to their third child, and this was the first time the family was able to go out and enjoy dinner together. So, they went out to dinner with their three children hoping for a nice, relaxing night out. Little did they know that their waitress would completely turn out their evening around…
Behind Her Back
As Jacie returned from the restroom, what caught her eyes instantly made her blood boil.
She rushed back to the table that she and her family were sitting at, she was in for quite the surprise.
Behind Her Back
The Tears Came
But soon enough she felt as though she couldn’t fight back the tears.
Regardless, Jackie knew that she needed to do something about the situation. She also wanted to find out exactly what was going on.
The Tears Came
She tried her best to keep her cool, as she didn’t want to create any kind of scene in the restaurant.
Motherhood
Jackie Johnson-Smith knew that there were many challenges that came with being a mom.
Being a wife and a mother of 3 is a huge responsibility and isn’t as easy as many people think. But still, no prior experience of hers would ever match the one hand she had to deal with while having dinner at the local restaurant in Des Moines, Iowa.
Motherhood
Stirring Up Drama
Jackie thought the waitress that had served them was really brave. This is another reason the tears came pouring down.
How could she even think of giving her husband a letter, and even worse, behind her back? She was shocked to read what was written in the note…she could not believe it at all.
Stirring Up Drama
Not Someone To Mess With
Jackie served in the U.S.
Up until now, Jackie had been through a lot in life. She also believed her experiences made her the person and mother that she is today. She was determined to be the best mom possible, and nothing or no one would get in her way.
Not Someone To Mess With
Army for some time, she had a tough character and personality. People knew not to walk all over her or mess with her at all.
A War Hero
Despite the fact that she survived many army drills and other hurdles, for some strange reason what this waitress did really got to her.
How could this waitress think it was ok to slip another woman’s husband? Even Jackie’s husband was completed speechless after realizing that this small thing made his wife cry.
A War Hero
Not So Glamorous
Moms also battle with exhaustion and chaos that come with being around kids. But regardless of all of this, Jackie always makes sure to look her best, not just for her husband but mainly for herself.
Not So Glamorous
People are parents know that this is really one of the hardest jobs in the world, especially when children are so young and need a lot of care.
He Got A Lot Of Attention
Of course, Jackie loved her husband just as much as did on the first day that the couple met. But that never bothered her so much.
Jackie knew that her husband was very attractive and she knew many people thought this too. But on this specific day, when she caught the waitress staring at her husband, she could feel her anger increasing.
He Got A Lot Of Attention
A Blind Eye
Jackie couldn’t overlook the amazing years that she has experienced because of her relationship with her husband. And nothing else mattered to them.
Of course, things change over time, and even though at the moment it was a bit of a rough patch, their main responsibility was their three great children.
A Blind Eye
Feeling Uncertain
Jackie had a lot of insecurities and at certain felt unsure about her marriage. She questioned herself thought about the need to confront herself.
She tried to ignore these kinds of feelings, however, it felt as though her uneasiness had a good reason behind it all. Did this particular day had fuel to the fire?
Feeling Uncertain
Bringing The Family Out
Jackie and her husband Tom knew that it had been quite some time since they had a date night.
But they decided to take the whole family out for dinner instead. What could be better than some delicious pizza at their local restaurant? They wanted nothing more than to spend quality time together while relaxing.
Bringing The Family Out
Life With A Newborn
She could feel people talking and staring in the direction of their table.
Naturally, Jackie thought that her baby was hungry which is why she turned to feed her baby at their table.
Life With A Newborn
As soon as they settled down at the restaurant, the newborn began to cry hysterically.
Needed Support
Once you become a mother, there are far too many things that you do that people will judge you about.
People really feel that they can freely criticize others, and it was no different for Jackie while she was out with her family eating pizza. Jackie has gone through this too many times since she breastfed her other two children as well.
Needed Support
But, in life, you cannot please everybody. When a mother lifts her shirt to feed her baby, people automatically stare and gasp.
A Proud Momma
And she for sure wasn’t going to let stares stop her from breastfeeding her baby.
However, on this specific day, Jackie felt unsettled by this particular waitress. This was nothing that she had experienced before. But she couldn’t quite place her finger on it.
A Proud Momma
Jackie wasn’t the kind of person who worried too much about what others said or thought about her.
All Eyes On Them
After having two other children, Jackie was already used to people judging her life decisions.
She also stopped caring about breastfeeding in public many years ago. There were times where she would hear people muttering under their breaths, but she just disregarded them and carried doing her thing.
All Eyes On Them