Mom Asks For Food To Go, But Restaurant Refuses

Struggling Mom

She was happy to have a nice meal out, but soon enough, her young daughter began to throw a massive tantrum in the restaurant, her cheeks turning red in embarrassment as everyone turned to face them.

She wanted to get out of there as fast as possible, but what started as a simple request for a to-go box, soon ended up as a viral Facebook post. She never expected them to say “no” to a struggling, single mom?

Pessimistic

Courtney Pedigo didn’t know what she was supposed to do. She felt like she and her family deserved to have a night out, but she was unsure because she dreaded how her young daughter might behave while they were out.

She shook her head and cleared her throat. She wasn’t going to be pessimistic. She decided to go to Olive Garden and enjoy her time, but she never could have imagined how the restaurant would treat her and her daughter.

She Loved Children

Courtney always wanted to be a mother. Whenever she was around her little nieces, nephews, and cousins, she was in awe of them.

But one thing she liked the most about babies was that she could hand them back to their mothers as soon as they threw up a tantrum. She loved children, but that didn’t mean that she was prepared to give up her freedom for them just yet. But then, the unexpected happened.

Her Baby Girl

When Harlynn was born, she weighed 8 pounds and 8 ounces. Courtney knew she was meant to be a mother from the moment she laid eyes on her baby girl. At that moment, she knew she would be fine despite anything life could throw at her.

She didn’t need anyone other than Harlynn. The first few months of motherhood were harder than she expected them to be. Whenever Harlynn was out of her sight, Courtney would grow anxious. But eventually, she learned that it was important for her to spend time with other people in her life. 

Night Out

Harlynn was 18-months-old at this point and she was the light of her mother’s life. As soon as Courtney arrived at the restaurant in Greensboro, North Carolina with her father, stepmother, and some of her parents’ friends, Harlynn was already fussy.

But Courtney was determined to live a normal life without having to worry that her daughter would make a scene. They walked into the restaurant and were instantly greeted by a waitress, who had been busy serving other tables. Courtney never expected this quiet night out to cause such a ruckus. She never thought that she would have a run-in with an employee.

A Tantrum

As soon as Harlynn was sat in her highchair, she began screaming. The other diners seemed to wince as they tried to enjoy their meals. Her tantrum made Courtney’s face flush red in embarrassment.

She refused to eat or to sit in her chair. Courtney couldn’t stand it. All she wanted was to give up and go home. She got up and approached the waitress, asking her if they could get their food to go, but for the waitress, it was hard work with a full restaurant vying for her attention.

Unexpected Response

But soon enough, Courtney managed to make eye contact with the busy waitress. She asked for their food to go because she knew that her daughter was making the experience horrible for everyone else.

But what Courtney thought was a simple request was met by an unexpected response. How could she say that to her?

“No”

“No,” she responded with a straight face, denying the struggling mother the food she paid for.

Courtney understood that she was busy and that it could take her a while to get to them, but she couldn’t believe that the woman would respond so rudely. They were in a popular restaurant chain and the waitress’ response was a real shock. “You’re going to go sit down and enjoy your dinner,” the waitress continued.

She Didn’t Understand It

Courtney thought that maybe she and her family could eat in the car. That way, if Harlynn continued to behave this way, at least they wouldn’t be bothering the other restaurant-goers.

But without their food, they would go hungry. She couldn’t understand how her request could cause so much trouble. Was it so hard for the waitress to just package their food?

Call The Manager?

Courtney took a seat around the table. She knew that bringing a toddler into a busy restaurant would make life a lot less pleasant for the other diners.

But surely she was entitled to a few boxes to take her food home in, right? She wondered if she should call the manager and tell them what the waitress had said. But did she want to be in the restaurant any longer?

Meltdown

Just then, Harlynn started to kick her heels against the table. Courtney knew something terrible was about to happen. Her face flushed with mortification as the other diners began to complain. She was all too aware that all eyes were firmly on the spectacle her daughter was making.

But now, she was also becoming angry. This wasn’t the first time she had endured terrible service because she had a disruptive child, but this was really just too much.

Can’t Leave

But before she could decide what to do next, their waitress finally made it over to the table. Courtney thought she might have changed her mind and had come to the table to collect their plates to pack their food up.

But the waitress once again refused them a to-go box so they could calm the baby down. And the frazzled mom was getting dangerously fed up with being treated so rudely.

“Sit Down”

Without batting an eye, 24-year-old Nianni Rudder restated: “You’re going to go sit down and enjoy your dinner.” Courtney’s eyes widened in disbelief. Was the waitress refusing to help her? This was completely unacceptable.

With Harlynn’s screeching scraping her nerves, she opened her mouth to give the waitress a piece of her mind. But the waitress just walked away.

What?

Courtney was puzzled by this. What was going on? Had she done something wrong? Did that waitress have something against her? Did she even know her?

All these questions kept piling up in her mind. She didn’t even know what to do now. Should she leave the restaurant? Should she try to talk to another waitress? And suddenly, the waitress that had refused to help with Courtney’s request came back. She was carrying something with her, but it was not a bag.

What Was It?

It was the meal she had asked for plus some ice cream! But Courtney was still confused: why had she refused to give her the to-go bag?

The waitress would have time to make her reasons clear to the single mom. She served her the meal and sat at her table. It turned out that the two women had a lot more in common than one might think, and they had plenty to talk about.

Waitress’ Words

“You’re going to go sit down and enjoy your dinner and I will be there to sit with her!” Nianni told the frazzled mother. Courtney was lost for words. Harlynn wouldn’t sit for her mother, she was hardly going to do it for a complete stranger.

Courtney wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. She was sick of people staring and whispering. But Harlynn was smitten. She sat giggling away with Nianni. Courtney couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

It Was Like They Knew Each Other

It almost seemed like little Harlynn and the waitress had been friends forever. Courtney was amazed at how easily she had been calmed down by the waitress’ presence.

Courtney was glad that she didn’t have to go to her car to eat. But she was still asking herself what could be the reason behind the waitress’ generous gesture.

Why?

The answer to this question was simpler than one would think: the 22-year-old waitress could tell that Harlynn wasn’t feeling too well and Courtney was quite stressed.

She felt sympathy for the single mom’s situation, as she was a single mom herself. The two women spent a while talking about the hardships of motherhood but also about its joys.

Life Stories

Courtney and Nianni spoke about the challenges single moms face when raising their children alone. Nianni told Courtney that she was raised by a single mom herself because her father had not been a part of her life. And, sadly, her mother had passed away just two years ago.

“I’m just a college student with no parents trying to make ends meet,” Nianni said. “It was great to get some time to sit down and talk to [Courtney].”

Big Dreams

Nianni also told Courtney that she’d been working at Olive Garden for around two years – she had to get a steady job after her mom died from cancer.

Although she picks up as many shifts as she can, she’s was also studying at Durhan Technical Community College and pursuing an associate’s degree. One day, she hoped to become an anesthesiologist.

Similarities

Courtney told Nianni that she had also worked as a waitress, so she understood how difficult it must have been for the waitress to take the time to help her out. After chatting and entertaining Harlynn until Courtney had finished her meal, Niannai finally left the table to go and get the check.

When she came back, the two women embraced each other wholeheartedly. But after Courtney left, Niannai noticed that she had something in her apron’s pocket.

What Could It Be?

She had taken her apron off to sit down with Courtney and Harlynn, and it had stayed there while she went for the check. And aside from the meal’s price on the table, Courtney had left a $50 note in Niannai’s pocket as a tip!

Niannai’s gesture meant a lot to Courtney, and she wanted to show her appreciation somehow, within her limited means. This story is a prime example of solidarity and how each of us can do something to make others’ lives better – that’s why Courtney had to share it.

Touched

“I actually got to eat my food while it was still hot!” exclaimed Courtney in a now-viral Facebook post. And that’s not all she had to say.

“[Nianni] is just an awesome person,” Courtney said. “I was just in complete shock because nothing has ever happened to me like that. I just wanted to shine some light on the person she is.” How could someone who is already under so much stress from rush hour take the time to sit with her baby girl?

Experience

Nianni is no stranger to the mood swings of young children. Her niece has just graduated from the terrible-twos and has now been accepted into the terrifying-threes.

She knows how irritable children can get when they’re hungry, tired, grumpy, sad, happy, afraid, or confused. Her shift was nearly over anyway. And there was plenty of other staff on to help bustle tables. But what would her manager think of her taking a break?

“You’re Family”

Apparently, Nianni’s managers are more than understanding. “My managers are great,” Nianni explained.

“Our motto at Olive Garden is, ‘When you’re here, you’re family.’ If that’s all I had to do was sit down and take a couple moments to help this young lady with her baby, I’d do it every day if I could.” And Nianni’s efforts haven’t gone unnoticed.

Facebook Post

Courtney was so touched by Nianni’s gesture that she dedicated a Facebook post to the server and her kindness – accompanied by a sweet photo of Rudder feeding Harlynn ice-cream.

And after outlining the incident, Courtney went on to give Niannni considerable praise for her actions.

Praises

Courtney’s post on Facebook has gained thousands of likes and comments. The online community has raved about Nianni’s kind gesture.

Mothers, sisters, and aunts have shared their appreciation for understanding a mother’s plight. But was everyone in the restaurant that night as understanding?

Thankful

“Girl, you will never truly know how appreciative I am for tonight,” gushed Courtney of her experience.

“I seriously admire you. Not only because you took the time to bribe my bratty little human with sweets so I could eat but because you are so so strong!” But as far as Nianni is concerned, she was just doing her job.

True Compassion

Nianni, who has a three-year-old niece, understood what Courtney was going through and felt like she deserved to stay where she was.

She knew raising a child isn’t easy – especially when there’s no father in the picture. She knew this because her own mom had raised her all alone. She understood exactly what the stranger was going through.

It Takes A Village

The old adage “it takes a village to raise a child” is one that still rings true – even if we’ve moved away from that concept in modern society.

Single moms, in particular, need all the help they can get. Next time you see a mom struggling with her child, instead of getting annoyed, see if you can help out. Nianni’s help meant the world to Courtney!