Courtney Pedigo wanted to have a nice dinner with her family, but her daughter threw a tantrum at the restaurant.
She felt embarrassed and wanted to leave, but the waitress refused to let them go. Something wasn't right, and Courtney felt her anxiety creeping in...
At The Restaurant
Courtney arrived at the restaurant with her daughter Harlynn, her stepmother, her father, and a couple of their friends.
When she entered the establishment, she was greeted by a young waitress waiting to give them the menus. But as soon as they sat down at the table, little Harlynn began screaming and crying.
Harlynn Threw A Tantrum
Courtney tried to calm her down, but all her attempts were unsuccessful.
Harlynn refused to eat her food and didn't want to sit on her lap. Other patrons began giving them dirty looks, and Courtney just wanted to leave.
She Wanted To Leave
So, she called the waitress over and asked if she could pack her food to go. Although Courtney wanted to stay and enjoy a meal with her family, she knew that her daughter was ruining other customers' dining experience, and she didn't want that.
But what the waitress told her left her speechless. Why would she say that?
She Said "No"
The server simply said "no." She told Courtney she couldn't pack her food for her.
Courtney understood that it was a busy night and the restaurant was understaffed, so she told the waitress she didn't mind waiting. "You're going to go sit down and enjoy your dinner," the waitress replied.
She Was Shocked
Courtney was shocked. Why was it such an issue just to get a container and pack her food for her and her daughter? It would only take her a minute.
Suddenly, Harlynn started kicking the table with her feet and shouting, "MOM!!!" Courtney had a feeling that something horrible was about to happen. And her instincts were right.
Everyone Was Staring At Her
Courtney could feel other guests staring at her. She simply wanted to leave and never come back here again.
Then, finally, their waitress made it over to their table. Courtney thought she might have changed her mind about packing her food, but the server again refused to bring a to-go box for her.
Nianni Rudder
24-year-old Nianni Rudder once again told Courtney to sit down and eat. Courtney was getting angrier and angrier. This was unacceptable!
Before Courtney had the chance to reply, Nianni told her this...
"Sit Down"
“You’re going to go sit down and enjoy your dinner, and I will be there to sit with her!” the server said.
Courtney wanted to leave the restaurant as quickly as possible, but her daughter was smitten. She stopped crying and began giggling away with Nianni.
She Got To Enjoy Her Food
“I actually got to eat my food while it was still hot!” Courtney wrote in her Facebook post.
"Nianni is just an awesome person," she continued. "I was just in complete shock because nothing has ever happened to me like that."
A Good Person
Courtney went on to say, "I just wanted to shine some light on the person she is."
She realized that Nianni wasn't being rude; she simply wanted to help her. The waitress knows how irritable children can get when they are tired, and her shift was almost over anyway. So, she decided to give Courtney a helping hand. But what did the manager think of her decision?
Her Managers Are Understanding
“My managers are great,” the server explained.
“Our motto at Olive Garden is, ‘When you’re here, you’re family.’ If that’s all I had to do was sit down and take a couple of moments to help this young lady with her baby, I’d do it every day if I could.”
She Was Touched By Her Gesture
Courtney was touched by her kind gesture and decided to write a Facebook post about her.
She uploaded a photo of Nianni feeding her daughter ice cream, and her post quickly went viral.
It Was Past Her Bedtime
“Harlynn, it was getting to be her bedtime, and I could tell it wasn’t gonna be a good sit-down meal,” Courtney told PEOPLE.
“I tried occupying her with some movies on my phone, I tried holding her. She was just getting really fussy and whiny. I was just getting overwhelmed. I knew it was time to go out to the car.”
They Are Still In Touch
She went on to explain how Nianni offered to watch her daughter while she enjoyed her dinner.
“She sat there and fed Harlynn some ice cream and was wiping her hands and her face. She talked to my family and opened up a bit about herself. It was pretty cool. I was just really flustered and overwhelmed, and she was a breath of fresh air.” Courtney said that she and Nianni are good friends now. “We’re friends on Facebook, so she’ll message, or I’ll message her to see how things are going. She and I, we’re gonna keep in touch, definitely.”