Server at Red Robin pays for grieving officers' meals after police funeral

POLARIS, Ohio — When nine grieving police officers visited a Red Robin in Polaris, Ohio, after the funeral of one of their colleagues, their server wanted to do something to lift their spirits.

So she decided to pay their tab – all $123 of it.

"I just wanted to do something nice," the waitress, Jessica Dunbar, told WCMH. "You can't put a dollar amount on making somebody happy."

On the back of the receipt, she wrote, "Officers, your bill is on me today. I can’t imagine the day you all have had, let alone what you go through every day. I hope your days get better. So much respect."

Her act of kindness quickly went viral after Ohio Going Blue shared a photo of Dunbar and her appreciative letter.

>> Click here to see the post

"It really touched all of our hearts," said Wellington police Lt. Jeff Shelton, one of the officers Dunbar served."We weren't expecting to be treated any different than normal, and just for somebody to come and do that, it really made our day."

The death of their colleague – Columbus SWAT Officer Steven Smith, who was fatally shot in an April 10 standoff – really hit home for Dunbar, whose father is a retired officer.

Smith "left behind a wife and kids," she told WCMH. "It could've been me. It could've been my dad."

>> Click here to watch the news report

Cox Media Group