Boston Marathon attendees who fled restaurants without paying when their meals were interrupted by the deadly bombings are now stepping up to settle their bills — from all across the nation.
“It’s the right thing to do, isn’t it? At least in my mind it is,” said David Christmas, a runner from Acton, Mass., who made good on a $35 bar tab with a mailed check of $50, the Boston Herald reported.
He’s far from being alone. Calls and checks are arriving from patrons all across Massachusetts and from as far away as Florida, Virginia, Rhode Island and New Hampshire.
“They all said, ’Listen, we were there, having a good time, and we want to pay our tab,’” said Rattlesnake Bar owner Tony Castagnozzi of the many calls he’s received since the April 15 bombing, the Herald reported. “I was speechless. … You see there are so many good people out there. It makes you feel good.”
Mr. Castagnozzi was left with $3,000 worth of unpaid tabs that day, the Herald reported. But he’s since received $1,200 of that, and the calls keep coming. And all are remembering the waitresses with tips, he said.
“They didn’t expect anything,” Mr. Castagnozzi said of his staff. “Marathon day is our busiest day of the year. And they work hard. So they were pleasantly surprised.”
Back Bay Association president Meg Mainzer-Cohen said she’s not surprised by the Samaritans.
“I just think it further demonstrates how the community came together to support businesses and the victims of this incident. It just further demonstrates what a great city we live in,” she said.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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