Waitress Serves Grumpy Senior For Years, Receives Strange Call After He Vanishes
Melina Salazar, a wonderful woman from Texas, has worked as a waitress for most of her adult life. While she initially jumped around, for nearly the past two decades, she’s worked at the same Luby’s Restaurant in Brownsville, Texas. Over her years as a waitress, Salazar learned to deal with difficult situations along with even more difficult customers.
However, some customers are a lot harder than others, like Buck, a WWII veteran who seemed to hate everything around him. In fact, soon after he started coming to Luby’s, Salazar became the only employee who would wait on Buck. While he was often a curmudgeon, in the end, Buck would change Salazar’s life forever…
1. Loving Her Job
Melina Salazar was a middle-aged woman working as a waitress at Luby’s, a cafeteria-style restaurant, in Texas. While most don’t consider “waitress” a dream job, Salazar felt differently. Over 17 years as a waitress, and six at Luby’s, Salazar learned to love her job and became incredibly good at it. Without a doubt, she was one of the, if not the, best waitress in the place.
Salazar always focused on excellent customer service, treating every single customer with respect and sympathy, no matter how difficult the customer behaved. According to her co-workers, she’s always smiling and trying to cheer everyone up. But, by setting herself apart from the rest of the staff, Salazar also opened herself up to her most difficult challenge yet…
2. Great Customer Service
Because of her great attitude towards every single customer and swift service – especially those who were demanding – a manager assigned Salazar to a special position: she would deal with the pickiest customers at Luby’s. Most of us would hate this job. But, of course, Salazar had no problem fulfilling her duties, wanting to treat everyone with respect.
Specifically, one particular customer acted so poorly that the others waitresses never wanted to take his order, unless they absolutely had to. To be fair, Salazar didn’t find dealing with this customer particularly easy. In fact, he was one of the most problematic customers she had ever deal with, in her entire career. However, Salazar had her reasons why she decided to continue serving him.
3. The Pickiest Customer
89-year-old and veteran of World War II Walter “Buck” Swords was the regular customer whom the staff at Luby’s wanted to avoid as much as possible. According to most, he had a short temper and a severely less-than-pleasant personality. You can see why the staff at Luby’s avoided him.
Over the years, he built quite the reputation among the waiters and waitresses. Not only did he have a bit of a temper, but he also went to Luby’s for lunch every single day! Unfortunately, his reputation ultimately got the better of him. In time, no one wanted to serve him, no one except Salazar. Thankfully, she always felt ready to serve Buck.
4. Finding Flaws
While everyone knows someone grumpy, Buck took it to the extreme. Whenever he walked inside the restaurant, no one knew what to expect. It didn’t matter the quality of food or time of day, he would always find something to complain about.
Buck didn’t like to be kept waiting, so he often got impatient and cranky with his orders. In fact, according to Salazar, he even sometimes “cursed at the staff.” It got to the point where even the most senior waitresses in the restaurant had, little by little, grown tired of his unreasonable demands. However, unlike the rest of the staff, Salazar always loved the challenge and would happily wait on his table, with a bright smile.
5. Respect Comes First
How did Melina Salazar continually serve Buck, while others could not? Well, despite his grumpy reputation, Salazar had always believed the key to successful customer service is respect. Still, like everyone else who worked at Luby’s, even she had some run-ins with the infamous customer.
In fact, the first couple of times she served Buck, Salazar admitted she was at the edge of losing her calm demeanor. Nevertheless, Buck had earned a soft spot in her heart. In time, she had grown to care about the grumpy old man a lot. Little did she know, Buck had a special surprise for her…
6. The One, And Only, Waitress
In time, 89-year-old Buck became so grumpy that everyone else had become indifferent towards him. So, Salazar became his primary waitress, serving him almost every time he came in. Salazar didn’t care about his temper or the things he said. She only saw him like any other customer or an elderly person in need of assistance.
Aside from an urgent request from a manager or another customer, Salazar would not stand and watch Buck sitting around with no one attending to his request. For her, Buck was just a person who was there to get the best possible service. There’s no room for doubt: she was his number one waitress.
7. A Special Request
While Buck didn’t like a lot of things, he did love one thing: Luby’s menu. However, he did have one strict, rare request. Whatever the WWII veteran ordered, he wanted it served piping hot! In fact, Salazar said he even liked it when it “burned the roof of his mouth.”
After serving him nearly every day for seven years, Salazar had learned precisely how Buck liked his food. After all, she truly wanted to live up to Buck’s expectations. So, Salazar served Buck his order exactly the way he liked it. She always tried her best to make him happy though it wasn’t easy peasy.
8. Times Change
Over those seven years, things slowly got better. Salazar got to the point where not only did she work hard on trying to perfect Buck’s food, but she also served him with a smile. A naturally kind person, the waitress always tried to strike up a conversation by asking the grumpy man how his day had gone so far.
Meanwhile, the restaurant’s staff kept wondering how she managed to pull off a happy face every day and handle their pickiest customer. However, Salazar would welcome Buck every day with excitement. She no longer saw him as everybody did. Sometimes, not very often, she could even get a smile out of him.
9. An Unusual Day
As Melina Salazar and Buck go to know each other, time marched on. For seven years straight, waiters came and left, cooks made their food, and Buck came in at the same hour for his daily meal. For better or worse, he had been a prominent figure at Luby’s all because of his “colorful” personality.
Of course, Luby’s, like every restaurant, had plenty of regulars. However, Buck had set himself apart from the rest. So, that day when he didn’t show up, even those servers who didn’t appreciate him at all, noticed his absence and started wondering. Still, none of them seemed too concerned. Well, except for Salazar…
10. Concerns Started Rising
Over seven years, Salazar became accustomed to seeing Buck every day. Like all of her regulars, she looked forward to serving him! So, naturally, Salazar knew the time he would drop by, well-aware that he was never late. The day continued to pass by, but no sign of Buck. Salazar found herself wondering if something might have gone wrong.
Despite his age, Buck seemed healthy and energetic. After all, he needed energy to fuel that temper! However, Salazar couldn’t help but have overwhelming thoughts. So, she tried to brush off all the negative thoughts. While she felt genuinely worried about Buck, she still had a job as a waitress.
11. Noticeable Absence
Another day went by, and still no sign of Buck. He never missed a single day, yet no one but one person seemed to miss him very much. Salazar just thought he might be feeling under the weather and needed a couple of days or so to get some rest. However, there was no way for the caring waitress to check on his well-being.
Meanwhile, her co-workers began constantly joking about Buck, asking her if she missed her short-tempered customer. Salazar just laughed at them and remained positive they would have him back in no time. The waitress had no idea what the future held for her and Buck…
12. Days Turned Into Weeks
Soon the days turned into a week, and Salazar couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to her every-day customer. Still, the waitress had no way to reach him out, nor did she even know where to start. Salazar had learned a lot about Buck; most importantly, he enjoyed his privacy.
Not once had he talked about his personal life, with anyone. Salazar had been his number one waitress for almost a decade, and he never said anything about his life to her. She resigned herself to not knowing and continued with her life, serving her customer like she always had. However, Salazar would soon make a discovery that would change herself forever…
13. An Unpleasant Discovery
Depending on where you live, you might not know that Luby’s is a very popular restaurant in Texas. So, with so many customers to attend to, Salazar eventually forgot about Buck. Then, out of nowhere, the waitress discovered something in a local newspaper. Even stranger, she just felt compelled to pick it up, not looking for anything in particular.
There, Salazar spotted something written on the obituary page that immediately caught her attention. In an instant, she found out the reason why Buck hadn’t been back to the restaurant. Sadly, it was because he had passed away. Salazar started to feel very perplexed, unable to believe what she read in the newspaper.
14. Emotions to the Surface
During their time together, Salazar had grown to appreciate her grumpy customer. For a while, after reading his obituary, the waitress couldn’t bring herself together to make a sound. She just stood there speechless, staring at the details written on the obituary page as sadness filled her heart.
Of course, Salazar was surprised by how she reacted to the sad news. The waitress never expected to feel this way. Salazar could not believe the sudden feeling of sadness and loss that gripped her heart. While the other servers acted as if nothing happened, Salazar could not help but feel brokenhearted. She would never see one of her favorite customers, ever again.
15. Grieving
Salazar’s co-workers could not understand the reason for her sadness. After all, she could count the number of times Buck had smiled at her on both hands; if you can call the slight twitching of his mouth a smile. Nevertheless, the waitress had found a special place in her heart for him.
Salazar had a hard time trying to understand why she felt pain, knowing she would never serve him again. So, the waitress did the only thing she could think of: she sent out a prayer to her favorite picky customer. In doing so, Salazar hoped he would find his way to rest in peace.
16. Life Must Go On
Despite the loss of a regular customer, Luby’s continued its operation on a daily basis. They had to move forward as there were many other customers they had to take care of. As for the rest of the service staff, they were completely oblivious. They didn’t seem to care Buck would no longer come to their fine establishment.
Some of them were even thankful that they didn’t have to look at Buck’s grumpy face any longer. They felt happy that he would no longer sneer or curse at them. For the rest of Texas, the world didn’t stop; yet, to Salazar, it felt like it had.
17. Empty Feelings
After Buck’s death, Salazar felt an empty feeling inside. The waitress often found herself staring at the door, hoping Buck would walk in through them. Unfortunately, he never would. Even if she didn’t know much about his life, just knowing that Buck served during World War II was enough to earn Salazar’s respect.
Based on what she learned from friends and family, Salazar knew what the soldiers had gone through in order to preserve people’s freedom. His service meant he had been through enough, and Salazar had just wanted to make his life better. However, it was time to move on. Until Salazar’s phone rang…
18. An Unexpected Call
After a while, Salazar’s everyday life began getting back to normal. She made peace with Buck’s passing and starting giving excellent service once again. Then, one day, the waitress received an unexpected call from someone she didn’t know.
Salazar was on her break time when the call came in, so she answered it. On the other end of the line, a stuffy-sounding lawyer asked for her, by name. Afterward, the lawyer said something that made her heart stop for a second. She couldn’t wrap her head around it, thinking it must be a mistake or maybe a cruel joke. However, the lawyer soon confirmed his identity and the legitimacy of what he told Salazar…
19. Buck’s Will
At first, Salazar couldn’t understand what the lawyer said. She understood the words, but not the context. The lawyer revealed he was the legal attorney of the late Walter “Buck” Swords. Then, he proceeded to tell her that Buck had included her in his last will. He asked if they could meet tomorrow, to go over the inheritance. Salazar felt stunned, trying to process all the information, but agreed.
The old man had a very special surprise for the waitress who had been there with a smile for the last seven years of his life. Still, after the call, Salazar couldn’t explain what she felt. What on earth could Buck have left her? More importantly, why her?
20. Why Me?
After her shift at the restaurant, Salazar just wanted to head home and think about Buck. The lawyer would be over the next day, finishing up the necessary processes. Still, all while working, she couldn’t help but wonder why Buck had chosen her to be part of his will. What set her apart from his friends and family?
In all their time together, Buck had never been kind to her or never shown any interest for her, much less for her life. Nevertheless, he had included her in his last will. So, Salazar began to contemplate every memory she had of Walter “Buck” Swords, seeking for answers.
21. Bringing Memories Back
Before falling asleep that night, Salazar brought back every memory she had of her grumpy customer. She remembered how Buck never had any kind words for her and others. However, she had learned how to adjust to his crabby nature. The waitress had even learned to care for the old man!
Salazar was filled with compassion for him, along with an incredible amount of respect for his profession and his past. However, once did she feel appreciated or did she think Buck notice how hard she tried to make him happy. She would soon learn how much Buck truly appreciated her efforts…
22. A Great Gift
All of the customers and other waiters knew of Salazar’s incredible customer service. She did a great job expecting nothing in return from the restaurant’s customers, least of all, Buck. That’s the reason why when the lawyer called her, she was so surprised, to say the least.
The next day, just as he said, Buck’s legal attorney showed up at her door to discuss the details of Buck’s last will with her. Once inside, he revealed exactly what Buck had left for her. In the end, the veteran left the waitress his favorite car and $50,000! She couldn’t believe Buck had left her this incredible gift, of all the people in the world, he chose her.
23. Ensuring The Future
Forward thinking, Buck had expected that Salazar wouldn’t accept the gift right away. So, he made a firm request to his lawyer to ensure Salazar would ultimately receive his gift. As Buck predicted, Salazar was having a hard time deciding whether or not she should take his gift.
The lawyer told Salazar that Buck would be happy and rest in peace knowing that he had at least made her life better. It was an unexpected act of appreciation which Salazar deeply appreciated. After some hard thinking, she decided to cooperate with Buck’s attorney and respect the old man’s final wishes.
24. An Incredibly Grateful Waitress
Salazar was extremely grateful for Buck’s act of appreciation towards her. She believes no amount of money can equal a human’s compassion and kindness for another. Furthermore, she loves her job and would treat any customer the same way she treated Buck.
In the end, all of those years of effort finally paid off though Salazar wasn’t expecting this gift all at. For her, a simple act of gratitude is more than enough to make her feel her work is worth it. For as long as she continues to work, she will keep having the same smile on her face treating people the way she would like people to treat her.
25. Looks Are Deceiving
Besides being grateful, Salazar also learned a valuable lesson she will hold on to for the rest of her life: looks can be deceiving. Not because a person seems to be angry and hot-headed all the time, it means they have forgotten the simple virtues in life. Buck is the best example for the waitress.
Afterward, Salazar made a promise to herself that she will continue to be cheerful and helpful, never expecting anything in return. As for the gift, Salazar is aware she should use it wisely so she would be able to extend Buck’s generosity to other people in need.
26. Not The First Time
Most people must think Salazar’s story only happens in movies. Well, guess what? The story of a waitress getting a hefty sum of money is not as unusual as you might think. In 2015, a similar thing happened to two restaurant workers, and their story went viral.
This time we’re not talking about a grumpy customer, instead, it was the restaurant’s most likable customer, who also treated them as a part of his family. As it turns out, the man who changed their lives, in a second, was also a famous art dealer. Not only was he filthy rich, but he was also kind.
27. A Generous Man
Donohue’s Steakhouse is a popular restaurant in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Like most restaurants in the district, they had a favorite patron. Whenever this generous man wasn’t away on business trips, he loved to eat most of his meals in the steakhouses.
The restaurant staff had grown an incredible amount of love for this man. He was never grumpy or picky and was open to having a cool conversation at any time. However, their favorite part about him was in incredible generosity towards every single one of them. Every time he dropped by, he’d make sure there were tips for everyone, including the busboys.
28. Dear Friends
Maureen Donohue-Peters was the co-owner of the famous restaurant. She was also the head waitress of the restaurant. Just like everybody else, she loved to waitress for her favorite customer every time she had the change. He brought joy and happiness to the place as soon as he walked through the doors. The entire room enlightened just with his presence.
Donohue-Peters and the generous man had known each other for many years. Over the years, they had developed a special relationship. She even got to the point where she considered him one of her dearest friends and, he did as well.
29. Come and Join Me
The generous man enjoyed the company of the restaurant’s workers. So, whenever they were not busy, he would ask them to come and join him. It was that kind behavior that set this man apart from the rest of the restaurant’s customers.
Often, he shared his meals with his business associates, yet some other times he dined with the homeless. For him, everybody was the same, and he was kind to everyone. It didn’t matter who he was with, he’d still treat them with the same respect and appreciation they deserved. Without any doubts, he was no ordinary man as he knew how to appreciate the important things in life.
30. Meet Everyone’s Favorite Guy
The charitable man of this viral generosity story was no other than the famous art collector, Robert “King of Ming” Ellsworth. Despite having a net worth of $200 million, this man was known for having a humble life and always being generous to those who found themselves in need of his help.
He was sympathetic to everybody surrounding him and always had a big smile on his face. With a cheerful and positive attitude, he had the power of turning a bad day around to make everybody happy. He was the type of person you would want to keep around.
31. Just Speck of Dust Within The Universe
People who held him dear knew Ellsworth as Bob. He was a friendly man who had many close friends, which is not at all surprising, given his kind nature. Despite his incredible success, Bob never believed he was better than anybody else.
Instead, Bob saw himself just like any other regular person. He never acted cocky or belittled anybody. Always preferring to see the beauty in people. Bob was well-aware he was just a speck within the galaxy so, he decided as long as he lived he would bring out the best in people rather than make them feel small or not worth it.
32. The King of Ming
Ellsworth had spent a great deal of his life collecting art and furniture pieces from the Ming Dynasty. One of the most famous pieces attributed to him is the Astor Chinese Garden Court in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Because his main goal was to acquire every piece that would remind people of the golden era of the Ming Dynasty, people soon gave him the nickname “The King of Ming.” His love for art had required him to travel all over the world. Over the years, The King of Ming had been to the most beautiful places. However, none of those felt like home to him, only being at the Donohue’s.
33. Bob’s Daily Routine
As soon as Ellsworth walked into the Donohue’s Steakhouse, everybody knew what he wanted. It was sore of an everyday routine, and he had never lost his appetite towards the steakhouse menu. For lunch, Ellsworth would have an open-faced grilled cheese with bacon.
For dinner, he had broiled prime chopped sirloin steak. Ellsworth liked to accompany his dish with smothered onions. He wasn’t impatient, and never complained about the food. From the staff to its menu, Ellsworth loved everything about the steakhouse. It was his favorite place to hang out, and he had some dear friends who would take great care of him. Including one particular companion…
34. A Four-legged Companion
Whenever Ellsworth dropped by the restaurant, he was with his four-legged companion. It was a beautiful golden retriever who never left his side, not for a second. They shared every meal, and their bond was such a refreshing scene to watch. His dog was like any other customer.
His dog was just as kind as he was. He also enjoyed the company of the waiters and loved the way they treated him. Everybody that dined with him was treated as a dear friend. Ellsworth considered his dog one of his best friends, and you could see how much they loved each other.
35. A Man Full of Kindness
The King of Ming enjoyed treated people as his equal. Over the years, the restaurant’s staff had seen him dine with his driver just like he did with prominent people. Whenever he was by himself, he would call the restaurant’s workers who were on a break to come and join him for supper.
Ellsworth loved meeting new people and getting to know them. He liked entreating them with his stories about his travels and collections. The King of Ming did it with such an enthusiasm that anybody who was listening understood his passion for art. No for a single moment did he sound like a wealthy businessman.
36. The Final Goodbye
The time came for Ellsworth to say goodbye at 85-years-old. Unfortunately, the King of Ming passed away in 2014. Thousands of people from all over the world gathered in a beautiful service to pay their final respect for the generous man. He’d left his mark on many people’s lives, and they would remember him with great love.
As for Maureen and the rest of the restaurant, workers were devastated when they first learned the terrible news. They were sorrowful of his passing and knew the steakhouse would never be the same without him around. In short, they lost a near, close friend.
37. Sadness Stayed For a While
Back on the Steakhouse, nothing was like it used to be. For the months that followed, the sadness and grieving stayed within everyone. Every time they thought him, they couldn’t help to miss him and wish he was walking through the doors once again.
As a way to remember him, they often looked at the pictures within the restaurant. He would live forever inside their hearts. Bob would forever be remembered as a cool and loving guy. However, Bob wouldn’t leave this earth without preparing a special gift for his dear friends. They would soon learn how much Bob cared about them.
38. The Last Gift
Almost a year after Bob had passed away, Maureen and her niece were reached by the legal representatives of their favorite customer. They were confused as they didn’t know exactly what to expect when the legal representatives called them. The restaurant’s workers were stunned when they learned Bob had left a hefty sum of $50,000 for each of them.
They had no words to express how grateful they were for Bob’s final act of generosity. However, they said they would have no second thoughts of trading the money in to have Ellsworth back into their world. Unfortunately, she knew that wasn’t possible.
39. Expanding The Business
Maureen and her niece decided to invest the $100,000 to expand Donohue’s further. They also used a part of the money for the other people who were close to Bob. Maureen wanted everyone to know, that even after he had passed away, he never forgot the people who made his life better.
After the story went viral, lots of people reached out to them to attest what a wonderful man Robert L. Ellsworth was. He was a man full of compassion and kindness. It seems like he truly lived life to its fullest, and people will always remember his legacy.
40. The Most Important Lesson
Buck, the veteran, and Bob, the art collector, have both shared compassion and kindness as their final acts. Upon leaving this world, they treated people with respect and love, and that reflects a happy and healthy life.
With their final acts, both Buck and Bob let those closest to them how much they appreciated what they’ve done for them. While not everything is about the money, Buck and Bob surely knew the people they’ve chosen to include in their last would use the funds wisely. Hopefully, they use that money to make the world a better place for themselves and their loved ones. Just like Buck and Bob did!
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