The owner of an Arizona pizzeria owner said something magical happened to him amid all the stress and anxiety he’s faced during the coronavirus outbreak.
Restaurants across the U.S. have shuttered due to the coronavirus pandemic that has threatened the global economy. The federal government and states have taken drastic steps in stemming the outbreak’s spread that they say will ultimately benefit the economy and the country’s health.
These steps– like shelter-in-place orders– have all but destroyed businesses that depend on foot traffic. The House just passed a $2 trillion stimulus aimed at helping these establishments, but the fear is palpable.
Businesses like Rosa’s Pizzeria in Prescott, Ariz., have suffered a dramatic drop in cash flow and were forced to either totally cut staff or reduce hours.
Skyler Reeves, the owner of the shop, told the Todd Starnes Show about an inspiring interaction with a mysterious woman who handed him a white envelope and—before he could get a word out—slipped out of the store.
He said he found $2,000 in cash with a one-sentence note that read, “Hi there, As a neighbor and lover of Rosa’s, please accept the enclosed and use it as you see fit for your staff.”
He told Todd Starnes, “the hairs on my arm literally stood up.”
“It meant a lot,” he said — saying the the gift was a “glimmer of hope” that maybe things are going to get better.
Reeves said he owns three other restaurants and a catering company. He said that he was forced to lay off about 50 employees from his 100-member team. But he said the woman’s gesture gives him hope in these challenging times and he intends to pay it forward.
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Reeves said he is going to ask employees to bring him their most pressing bill and use the cash and some of his own funds to pay it.
He told ABC 15 that if he could talk to the woman, he would say, “She’s brightened a lot of people’s days and while I’m passing the money on of course to my staff, I definitely have thought back on it as kind of a bright spot in what’s been a really tough week, or however long its been. It’s a moment I never forget for the rest of my life, like ever, ever.”