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Red Robin Waitress Pays Meal For Nine Police Officers After Funeral

By Pam Wright
Published on: 00:51 PST, Apr 22, 2016

A Red Robin server in Polaris, Ohio, knew she had to do something for nine police officers who stopped by the restaurant after the funeral of a fallen SWAT officer killed in the line of duty.

According to NBC4, after Columbus SWAT officer Steven Smith’s funeral on Tuesday, a group of police officers went to the Red Robin in the Columbus suburb of Polaris for a bite to eat.

Their server that day was a mother named Jessica Dunbar, whose father is a retired police officer. She knew something was wrong by the demeanor of the officers in her serving area.

According to the blog Little Things, Dunbar asked them if they had had a rough day, to which they replied, “It’s always a rough day when you’ve gotta put a brother in the ground.”

She realized the men had just left Officer Smith’s funeral, and when it came time to pay their $123 bill, the grieving officers learned that the Red Robin server had paid for their meal in honor of their fallen brother.

Dunbar left a note on the back of the police officers’ final bill.

“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. #WeSeeYou #PoliceLivesMatter #RIPOfficerSmith”

Dunbar told NBC4 that there was no question about whether she should pay for their meal at Red Robin.

“I just wanted to do something nice. You can’t put a dollar amount on making somebody happy.”

Lt. Jeff Shelton of the Wellington Police Department was one of those at the restaurant. Shelton told NBC4 that Dunbar’s gesture was very meaningful.

“It really touched all of our hearts. 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 Red Robin server said the death of Officer Smith made her think about her own family.

“He [Officer Smith] left behind a wife and kids. It could’ve been me. It could’ve been my dad. People look up to them [the police]. To have them shake my hand and say ‘thank you’ to me, that was incredible.”

According to the Columbus Dispatch, Smith, 54, was shot by a single handgun round during a standoff on April 10. He passed away two days later, leaving behind his wife and children. Thousands of people attended his funeral, and law-enforcement officers came from across Ohio and the United States for Smith, donning shoulder patches that revealed the distances they had traveled to honor the life and service of Smith.

Two state police officers made the trip all the way from New Mexico, as did officers from the NYPD and Santa Monica, California.

Following Dunbar’s act of kindness at Red Robin, the Dartmouth Police Department in Ohio encouraged others to follow her lead.

What do you think of Red Robin waitress Jessica Dunbar’s generous gesture for Columbus SWAT officer Steven Smith?

[Image via Wikimedia Commons/By Jwinters, Red Robin in Tukwila, Washington]

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