Anonymous Family Surprises 18 Military Members With Free Lunch

18 military members were surprised when an anonymous family picked up their lunch tab – and it wasn’t cheap!

According to the Western Journal, Alyssa Zehler was enjoying lunch with 17 other Airforce members in Niagra Falls, New York.

The group went out for lunch at Fuji Grill as a celebration of graduating from a 5-week class at the Niagra Falls AFB base. All 18 members dressed up in their work uniforms before heading to eat, so it was easy to tell they were in the military.

While they were sitting down enjoying their meal, a couple with three children stopped by to thank them and even offered to take their photo, which Alyssa later shared on Facebook:

Speaking with WGRZ-TV, Zehler said, “It was incredible. This woman offered to take a picture, a group photo of us, she had her family there, her two sons and her daughter with her husband and she’s talking to us and she thanked us for our service.”

After their meal, the group was getting ready to pay when the hostess told them that the couple who stopped to thank them had covered their bill! The couple wished to remain anonymous, but they paid for all 18 of their meals, in addition to covering the tip.

According to WGRZ-TV, Zehler explained, “The hostess came over and said there is an anonymous couple who bought all of your lunches, tipped out your servers, the chefs and they just wanted to thank you again for your service and it left us speechless. It brought some of us to tears. It was a very heartwarming thing,” she said.

Zehler posted about the act of kindness on Facebook, saying:

“To the couple that paid for 18 meals at Fuji Grill in Niagara Falls for lunch today, thank you. We are without words, and beyond grateful for your generosity. You brought some of us to tears and it is something we will never forget.”