Mary’s Gourmet Diner swiftly gained national news after owner Mary Haglund stated that her restaurant offers a 15% discount for “praying in public.” In truth, she’s been serving it in her Winston-Salem, North Carolina cafe for numerous years.
Every dish of food is a gift to her, she remarked to The Blaze. And she never takes it for granted, and when she sees someone at a restaurant expressing gratitude at the table… it warms her heart.
But don’t assume for a second that Haglund puts her values on her employees. If any of the wait staff is uneasy or opposed, they are not obligated to provide the discount. Haglund, in fact, never promotes the discount. Instead, it is something that employees provide only when they feel obligated to do it.
It’s basically a minute of devotion to the dish of food, Haglund stated. It’s not even a policy; they just do it when they are moved to do so.
Haglund, the daughter of a pastor and missionary, spent her adolescence in the Philippines, where she observed a genuine need. In this nation, they are extremely blessed, she remarked.
Although Haglund claims to have lost her religion as she got older, she still considers herself to be a spiritual individual who believes in a higher force.
Jordan Smith, who was in Winston-Salem on business and stopped for breakfast at Mary’s with two coworkers one Wednesday morning, is to accountable for the diner’s discount’s unexpected popularity. Smith shared a snapshot of her receipt on Facebook after obtaining the discount while praying over her dinner with coworkers.
The receipt quickly made its way into Orlando’s Z88.3 radio’s Facebook page, where it drew the attention of hundreds of people who “liked” and shared it on the social media network.
They prayed throughout their dinner, and at the conclusion of the meal, the waitress came over and said, ‘Just so you know, we gave you a 15% discount for praying,’ which she had never seen before, Smith stated, adding that she was startled by how quickly the photo circulated online. She simply put it innocently on her Facebook page, and it’s been very amazing to watch where it’s gone from there, she explained.
Smith was also “certainly astonished” by the 15% discount, saying the three of them at the table remarked about how fantastic it is and what a cool thing it is that they do as company owners. However, not all will agree. However, before anyone jumps all over Haglund’s restaurant for encouraging Christian conduct, the 60-year-old cafe owner stated that the discount was never confined to a certain style of prayer, religious stance, or higher power. Furthermore, nothing in our nation requires a separation of church and plate.
