A generous donor has saved a Florida restaurant that might otherwise have closed for good, due to the coronavirus lockdown. Not only has his generosity kept the restaurant open, it also enabled the owners to offer a big “Thank you” to some local healthcare workers.
Good Samaritan makes a donation to Florida business owner
On the day that Bill’s Cafe in Naples was forced to close due to the governor’s stay-at-home order, one of its regular breakfast customers took owner Bill Salley aside and expressed his intention to help.
“He says listen I have two envelopes for you, ‘one for you, one for your help,’” Bill told WINK News. “It was so nice and kind of him.”
But that amount of money probably wouldn’t have saved Bill’s business from ruin…
The donor then asked Bill if he would be willing to send 100 sandwiches per day to Naples Community Hospital across the street. Bill jumped at the chance, and all of the food was given to the hospital’s employees for free.
Donations amounted to $40,000 and cafe provided sandwiches to the local hospital
The donations were purchased and distributed over the course of a few weeks—and they totaled $40,000.
Bill is supremely grateful—and so are his employees. Server Andrea Gianello told WINK News, “It felt good that someone genuinely cared about the community to come out and help. As well to help the nurses and the doctors.”
Now, Bill hopes the story of how his restaurant was saved will bring attention to the many other small eateries in need of help across the country. In the meantime, he and his staff plan to keep on serving the “best BLT in town.”
Salley figured things would work out and he’s certainly glad that they have. “This definitely could have put me under,” he said, but, “as it worked out, it literally saved my cafe.”
And Gianello knows that this restaurant was one of the lucky ones. “‘We are one that did get saved but there are so many others in Naples that are going under right now just because they can’t keep up,” she said.
