Heartwarming Interaction Between Bartender and Customer Witnessed in New Hampshire

Thanksgiving Eve Events

The day before Thanksgiving is considered by some to be the biggest party night of the year. It's become tradition for some to reunite with former classmates and friends from back in the day who are all in town to celebrate Thanksgiving with their families in their hometowns.

It can also be celebrated by a group of coworkers who are released to start celebrating the holiday early, and gather at a bar for happy hour drinks and specials. And that looked to be the case at a busy New Hampshire bar on Thanksgiving Eve.

Applebee's in Derry, New Hampshire

Known for happy hour food specials including mozzarella sticks and cheese quesadillas, as well as happy hour cocktails and $4 Busch Light, the Applebee's on Route 28 (Manchester Road) in Derry, New Hampshire, is frequented by construction workers, teachers, football coaches, and other customers on the regular.

With a small, intimate setting at the bar, it lends a perfect opportunity for customers to interact with bartender on duty, and create that bartender/regular customer relationship that some find comfort in. It also provides the opportunity for new customers and new bartenders to become acquainted, which was the case the day before Thanksgiving.

That afternoon, a handful of friends and co-workers were sitting at the bar at Applebee's in Derry, sharing laughs, stories, and all buying rounds for each other. To the point that it should've been confusing to the bartender, who mentioned she was freshly back from college that morning, getting back in the groove of bartending after having the semester off at school.

This bartender, who mentioned was in her senior year of college and studying Psychology, interacted with this group beyond just taking their drink and food orders the entire time they were at the bar. They swamped personal stories, some of the customers talking about where they grew up, and the bartender sharing a story of how she suffered a stroke at the restaurant earlier in the year.

And it was that rapport that had built with each other in such a short time to that led to one of the most simple, but heartwarming moments, to take place at that bar not only that afternoon, but possibly ever.

Because in a move that some would either question or scoff at, while struggling to open a bottle of wine with a corkscrew that she either wasn't familiar with or just struggled with (because we all have those items we struggle with from time to time,) she looked up at one of the customers, almost helplessly, and almost cautiously speaking.

...do you...know how to use one of these? I can't figure this out to get this open to pour...

The man, with a smile on his face, calmly said, "No problem," took the bottle from her, and step-by-step showed and instructed her how to maneuver the corkscrew and successfully open the bottle.

And in a world where everyone is criticized for literally everything, with no possible wiggle room for mistakes or struggles, this seemingly small (yet massive) act of help was just so impactful, and you could see the gratefulness and appreciation in the bartender's face.

Sometimes, it truly is that easy to be impactful and do good.