After an incredibly stressful day, a mother in Little Rock, Arkansas had a great experience at an Olive Garden. Dallas French had spent her day at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, where her baby, Ellee, tested positive for E. coli. The family decided to get dinner at Olive Garden to try to recharge after the long and upsetting day. Unfortunately, the dinner didn’t go as well as they had hoped.
A few days after the experience, French made a Facebook post explaining what happened. She said that as she was trying to make a bottle for Ellee, she spilled it all over the floor. As she made another bottle, she didn’t realize that their server was watching the situation. He approached the family and offered to feed Ellee so they could relax and eat. French wrote, “This melted all of us and this is what we need more of!”
After the family ate, the server and other Olive Garden staff cleaned up the milk on the floor. Even though the family’s server didn’t know what a stressful day they’d had, he could tell that they could use some help. No one was upset that Ellee was crying, and the server and other employees were all very understanding and compassionate.
Since French made the Facebook post, it has received more than 130,000 likes, 2,500 comments, and 35,000 shares. French said that she didn’t know the server’s name, but other community members who saw her post identified the man as Rob Davis. One commenter said that Davis had been their server after she had received chemo and radiation treatment, and he had been exceptionally kind and understanding.
Davis’ coworker, Laura Annette Veach, also commented on French’s post, saying, “He’s a great soul. Everybody loves him. He knows how to brighten our darkest days.” French’s experience with Davis shows that even the smallest gestures can make a day much better.