When Robert Irwin decided to stop into a restaurant to get some food to go, he had no idea that the eatery would be packed full of fans. The upcoming “Dancing With the Stars” contestant made it a point to engage with everyone he could before leaving. It was only later that he recalled that, in the frenzy, he had embarrassingly forgotten to pay for his food.
Proving that he’s ever the considerate and humble man he’s portrayed as, the Australian conservationist and zookeeper jumped on social media to atone for his mistake.
Robert Irwin Shouted out the Small Business to His 8 Million Followers
“I have a funny story,” Irwin began his Instagram video. “I’m road tripping down the East Coast of Australia at the moment, and I stopped in at Coffs Harbor, which is a beautiful coastal town in New South Wales.”
He proceeded to explain that he ordered a salad to go at the Jetty Pavilion. “Little did I know, but this is the place to be in Coffs Harbor!” he exclaimed. It was packed.”
While he was busy greeting everyone and posing for pictures, the Jetty Pavilion quickly prepared his order, and he left. When he realized the next morning that he hadn’t ever paid, he said he “felt terrible.” He called the restaurant and immediately offered to pay via Venmo or credit card.
But they didn’t want him to pay. Instead, they asked him to leave them a good review. “Guys, Jetty Pavilion, I got to do you one better,” Irwin recalled telling them.
“There are eight million of you guys on here; you know what to do,” Irwin addressed his Instagram followers. “I have tagged them. Go and support the Jetty Pavilion in Coffs Harbor.”
The Restaurant and Fans Were in Awe of Irwin’s Generosity
While Irwin was floored that the restaurant was so kind after he forgot to pay, Jetty Pavilion was equally grateful and overwhelmed at Irwin’s response.
“Ohhhh my goodness!” they responded in the comments. “We were just out on a family walk to Woolgoolga Waterfall and came back to see this!
Thank you soooo much for visiting our venue we’re honestly blown away. Being from a humble little coastal town, it means the world to us to have you stop by.
We’re all huge fans, and truly appreciate the shoutout. We can only imagine how hard it must be to enjoy a quiet meal without being bombarded so thank you again for choosing us, and no stress about missing the payment!”
“We’d absolutely love to have you back anytime… we might even have to name a salad after you,” they added.
Then, his family chimed in. His sister, Bindi, wrote, “Followed! Yay Jetty Pavilion,” and his mom, Terry, commented, “Can’t wait to try the Robert Irwin salad special next time I’m in Coffs!”
Irwin’s actions left many in awe. But what was most moving was seeing how connected people felt to him because of his generous act.
“As a small business owner, I can confirm that you just did the absolute most WONDERFUL thing for them by doing this!!” One fan wrote. “Such a kind (and life-changing) gesture.”
