Master Bartender
The unidentified woman told bartender Brian Avey her brother had died while serving in Iraq.
A Buffalo Wild Wings in Washington has created a touching memorial after a woman bought a beer at the bar for her brother who died in Iraq.
The woman had arrived at the location in Tacoma last week and sat at the bar, a manager named Nicole told us everything.
She asked bartender Brian Avey if she could have two beers, one Corona and one Blue Moon.
Avey told the woman that the restaurant’s policy was to only serve customers one drink at a time, but she had a heartbreaking response.
“She said the Corona was for her brother who died in Iraq and I won’t be drinking it,” he wrote on Facebook. “It just sat next her at a[n] empty seat her entire lunch.”
The bartender didn’t speak much with the woman after that, but he and his manager agreed the Corona should be on the house. “[He told her] Buffalo Wild Wings took care of the Corona in honor of her brother,” Nicole said.
![The bartender didn't speak much with the woman after that, but he and his manager agreed the Corona should be on the house. "[He told her] Buffalo Wild Wings took care of the Corona in honor of her brother," Nicole said.](http://ak-hdl.buzzfed.com/static/2015-07/15/15/enhanced/webdr01/enhanced-12356-1436989448-11.png)
When she signed her bill, the woman wrote Avey a note which he shared on Facebook.
She wrote: “Thank you. An act of kindness goes a long way. It means a lot to me. Have a great rest of your day.”
After the woman left, Avey didn’t feel right just throwing the beer out. So he approached his manager, and asked if he could place it on display. The manager agreed, saying, “Just do me a favor, put a fresh lime in it every morning.”
The restaurant has since created a display for the beer, and is planning to create a more permanent way to ensure it stays safe.
The story soon went viral, and Avey’s Facebook post has been shared over 40,000 times.
Nicole said the experience and media attention have been pretty incredible, and they have had plenty of customers come to the restaurant just to see the beer.
She said most importantly, she’s proud of her “amazing” team, adding that one of the most incredible things about the experience is that they’re getting so much attention for something that came “naturally” to them.
“It didn’t seem like we were doing anything too big,” she said, “it just seemed like the right thing to do.”
Stephanie McNeal BuzzFeed News Reporter
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings