Paying for every meal in packed Canadian restaurant, U.S, couple apologizes for Trump politics

Diners in a Windsor, Ont., restaurant were stunned and elated over the weekend when an American couple picked up the bill for the packed establishment — citing U.S. President Donald Trump’s divisive rhetoric and their love of Canada. 

May Hermiz is the co-owner of Toast on Erie Street. She says the day took an unexpected turn during their lunch rush when the couple from Ann Arbour, Mich., told her they wanted to pay for everyone in the restaurant.

“I was kind of stunned because nobody has ever done that in our nine years of being in business, nobody has ever paid for the whole restaurant,” Hermiz told CBC News. 

Staff got the restaurant’s attention and made the announcement, before the woman sitting in one of the restaurant’s back tables stood to speak. 

“Everyone was cheering. They were cheering them on and they were applauding.”

“We were just so taken aback.– Irene Chyz

Hermiz said the woman told patrons “she hates what the United States is doing to us and she doesn’t support it. And she’s so happy we won the hockey game and it’s a little token of appreciation for Canadians and how much she loves us and how much she loves supporting local.”

“Everyone cheered them on again,” Hermiz said.

Trump said Monday he will go forward with a 25 per cent tariff on most imports from Canada next week, saying the country has ripped off the U.S. for too long and it’s time to put a stop to it.

“This is an abuse that took place for many, many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “The tariffs will go forward, yes, and we’re going to make up a lot of territory,”

‘It was just wonderful to experience it’

Irene Chyz was at the restaurant with a friend whose birthday they were celebrating. She says the restaurant was packed at the time. 

Chyz says the gesture brought her plenty of happiness at a time when she’s been disturbed by how Trump is talking about Canada. 

“We were just so taken back. You’ve never heard of such a thing, and it was just wonderful to experience it,” Chyz said. 

“We noticed that people were starting to leave and go over and thank them for what they had done, for coming and being so supportive of Canada and their love of Canada.”

“My friend and I went over and we gave our thanks to them, gave them a big hug and they were just such warm, lovely, lovely people,” Chyz added. 

It was while they were thanking the couple that Chyz and her friend found out their names were Sarah and Bill from Ann Arbor, about an hour’s drive from Windsor. 

“That’s a bit of a drive to come over. So that was just a really, very, very exciting, amazing experience,” Chyz said. 

“It was just such a high … it really was. I still feel that way, that someone on their generosity came to our country and did this for people that they didn’t even know at all. It’s a really good, happy … feeling.” 

‘It was just very generous’

Tecumseh resident Aileen Ganley-Mutter was at the restaurant with her godchildren. She said they were finishing up and waiting for the waitress to bring the bill.

“We were all kind of shocked because that doesn’t happen, because there’s about 50 to 60 people in there,” Ganley-Mutter said, adding that there was “a full-on cheer and clapping.”

Ganley-Mutter said she went over to the couple because she still felt it was necessary to give some money toward the tip.

“They said ‘no, that’s the least we could do,'” she said. “They said … they weren’t going to stop supporting Canada and loving Canada,  and they felt bad for the rift that it was causing, so it was just very generous.

Ganley-Mutter shared the experience on social media as a “good news story” to counter the plentiful bad news she says she’s used to seeing.