A Mystery Couple Is Anonymously Paying Strangers' Bills At Applebee's

A husband and wife in Washington, Pennsylvania, are taking the phrase "pay it forward" to a whole new level by paying the bills of diners eating out at a local Applebee's. But according to KDKA-TV, the restaurant's assistant manager, Bernie Lewis, has been sworn to secrecy over the identity of the donors, who visit three to four times a week. He says the couple has been paying other customers' tabs for years.

"He [the husband] always says, 'I grew up poor and now I'm not' and that is all he says," Lewis told KDKA-TV.

Jolie Welling is one of many who have reaped the benefits of the couple's generosity. They covered the cost of 16 meals at her daughter's birthday celebration.

"Thank you to the person that took care of the bill tonight at Applebee's in Washington!" she wrote in a Facebook post. "This person paid for the whole party of 16. I have never had this happen before and it brought tears to everyone's eyes."

For more selflessness and random acts of kindness, check out the most inspiring food stories of 2017.