‘Total disbelief’: Pace Whataburger customer sparks hours-long ‘pay it forward’ chain

PACE, Fla. (WKRG) — More than 100 people were touched by an act of kindness at a Northwest Florida Whataburger restaurant on Friday.

Travis Ramsay, general manager of the Whataburger off Highway 90 in Pace, said 105 people participated in a pay-it-forward chain.

Here’s how it started:

At around breakfast time Friday morning, one of the restaurant’s regular customers paid for the food ordered by the woman behind him in the drive-thru.

“She was kind of a little bit shocked from that,” Ramsay said. “Of course she was more than willing to get the person behind her.”

The person behind her paid for the person behind them, and this continued for 105 orders.

“It was so exciting for me to be able to be a part of that — just to be able to talk to that next guest and say, ‘Hey, somebody got the order in front of you but not just that person. Right now, we’re at 20, 50.”

While all who participated were thankful, many were shocked at the kindness, Ramsay said.

“Some folks were just in total disbelief because maybe you have someone whose check is 30 dollars,” he said. “They don’t believe you at all that somebody already paid for their food.”

Ramsay said the act was a blessing to the workers and customers involved.

“What we’ve gone through in the past year, to have that much hope delivered in a row, that is absolutely phenomenal,” he said. “It makes folks’ day and probably even their month or brand new year … just to be able to witness that was incredible.”