Ellen Rewards Waitress's Good Deed—in a Big Way

DeGeneres repays waitress who picked up soldiers' tab, and then some
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 19, 2013 11:32 AM CDT
Ellen Rewards Waitress's Good Deed—in a Big Way
In this April 29, 2013 file photo, TV host Ellen DeGeneres arrives at the season 4 premiere of "Arrested Development" in Los Angeles.   (Photo by Katy Winn/Invision/AP, File)

When Sarah Hoidahl picked up the $27.75 lunch tab of two National Guard soldiers who weren't getting paid thanks to the government shutdown, she probably wasn't expecting this: On Ellen DeGeneres' show yesterday, Ellen paid the New Hampshire waitress back the $27.75 ... and then also handed her a $10,000 check and a 50-inch TV. As Hoidahl got emotional, Ellen just repeated, "You're a good person," Fox News reports.

Hoidahl heard the two servicewomen discussing being furloughed while she was waiting tables at a Ruby Tuesday. Instead of their check, she delivered a note to their table that read, "Thanks to the government shutdown the people like you that protect this country are not getting paid, however I still am. Lunch is on me thank you for serving ladies! Have a good day!" The New Hampshire National Guard posted a picture of the note on its Facebook page, which is how Ellen learned of the good deed. (More Ellen DeGeneres stories.)

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