Amid the clamor of the ongoing presidential election cycle, an international coronavirus freakout and local city council drama (again), you couldn’t be blamed for wanting some positive news. Allow us to counter the chaos with a heartwarming story to cheer your mid-week slump.
On Feb. 23, Cincinnatian Ashley White was enjoying a meal at Los Panchos Mexican Restaurant in Colerain when she spotted an everyday act of kindness across the dining room: Two men, who White described as elderly and with special needs, being aided in their meal by their server, who sat down in their booth and helped them, patiently preparing fajitas and keeping them company all the while.
“I promise there are beautiful souls still left in this world!,” White wrote of the server in a review of the restaurant on Facebook. “Just open your eyes and look around!”
That “server” happened to be Gerardo Sanchez, the owner of Los Panchos.
The heartwarming moment recently caught fair attention on Facebook, but today was broadcast to an audience of over 450,000 followers of the positivity fueled Instagram account Good News Movement (@goodnews_movement), run by journalist and consultant Michelle Figueroa. The page aims to celebrate good news, kind acts and heroes.
Garnering nearly 16,000 likes in its first hour on the page, commenters flooded in with well wishes, saying, “You don’t see service like this anymore. What a kind, sweet man,” and “It’s a Mexican thing...our moms have been shoving food in our mouths since we were ninos. We pay it forward.”
Los Panchos took to their Facebook to respond to the outpouring of kindness, writing: “On behalf of our owner Gerardo, He just wants to say thank you to everyone for the kind words and messages that he has received in response to this post! Although he is not very into the social media stuff, he has been blown away by the response this post has had. As most of you know, he does everything in his power to ensure each and every customer that comes to Los Panchos is happy and satisfied no matter what and we think this pictures really embodies the kind of person that he is! Again thank you guys we hope to see y’all soon here at Los Panchos and remember that a little kindness goes a long way!!”
With all the negativity prone to circulating in comment forums across the internet, we’d be damned if didn’t feel good to rally around a moment of shared humanity and kindness around every now and then. Gracias, Gerardo.
Los Panchos Mexican Restaurant, 8598 Colerain Ave., Colerain, lospanchoscincy.net.
