Kindhearted customer brings starving worker dinner during 16-hour shift: 'Made my day'

Editor's note: This article was originally published on December 16, 2021. It has since been updated.

In a world where everyone's trying to stay afloat, a small act of kindness can go a long way in making someone's day. That was the case with a 7-Eleven cashier, who was overwhelmed with happiness after a customer brought him a full meal as he worked a 16-hour shift. TikTok user Demi Lee had initially visited the gas station store in Las Vegas and learned from the employee that he didn't really have the time to have a meal between his 16-hour shift. This meant that he was going hungry for a large part of his day. Lee promised she'd come back with food for him, but he didn't really believe her, reported Newsweek.

Lee did return and the video of the same was posted on TikTok, and it's winning hearts online. "Went to the gas station for lighter fluid. I told the clerk I would bring him a plate before he got off work. He thought I was lying," said the text-to-voice generator in the TikTok video. She had brought him a plate of mac and cheese, beans and ribs. The post has since gone viral, garnering more than 3.7 million views and 864k likes. The video shows her driving up to the 7-Eleven store which is mostly isolated and it's dark outside. The cashier spots her walking up to the store and lets out an audible gasp. "Oh my god," he exclaimed. He couldn't believe that she had made good on her promise to bring him food. "I told you I was coming back," she responded, seeing his surprise.

Lee handed him the care package of food and urged him to see what she had brought for him as her Mom wanted to see his reaction. "So I need you to look at it because it's hot," she tells him. The cashier is visibly excited, like a kid in a candy store. "Oh damn, that looks good as s**t," he can be heard saying. The worker immediately tries one of the ribs and thanks her again. She then tells him there's more. "Now look in the other plate," Lee tells him. He lifts the plate containing the ribs and realizes she's brought him mac n cheese as well. "He thought I was lying. Couldn't wait to see the look on his face," she captioned the video.

He makes a prayer gesture with his hands at her. "You're the best," he tells her, before adding, "I'm eating it right now." He can be seen taking the plate into the back of the store to eat straight away. With the video appreciated by many online, she promised to revisit the cashier and let him know about the video. His eyes lit upon seeing her and he reached out to take her hand and thank her. He explained that he had no time to get out of the store and grab a meal and couldn't thank her enough for it. "I was hungry too, and I couldn't get out of here. I had worked 16 hours that day. You made my day," he told her. "Safe to say he enjoyed it," she captioned the follow-up video.

TikTok users praised her for her kindness. "As a gas station worker, specifically night shift, y'all have no idea how much the smallest things mean to us. Lots of negative people walk in daily," wrote one person. "The way he took those plates right off your hand. He was waiting, he had faith you would show and you did not disappoint," commented another user. "If someone brought me food like this at work, I'd probably cry. I never get food like this since moving out of my parent's house," wrote one user. "Over the years there's been so many times I've worked the holidays because I didn't have any kids. And when someone would bring me a plate of food that they cooked themselves, I thanked them so much and then when they left, I went by myself and cried like a baby," recalled one user.