Cops Rescue Elderly Women From Restaurant Bill They Can't Afford

BURIEN, WA — A minor miracle happened recently at the Burien diner Huckleberry Square. Two King County deputies bought dinner for two elderly women, saving them from spending the last few dollars they had.

The officers were eating at Huckleberry Square on June 29 when they told a waitress they would pick up the tab of anyone in the restaurant. They asked the waitress to pick, and the waitress chose Jean Mason, 90, and her neighbor. Neither the officers nor the waitress knew it, but the women were almost broke - the neighbor was planning to pay for the meal with the last $45 she had.

"The waitress came over and picked up their bill and walked away with it, came back and said, 'the cops bought your dinner,'" Mason's grandson, AJ Downing, told Patch. "When my grandmother was like 'Huh?' the waitress said, 'The two cops over there said pick any table in the restaurant and bring us their bill. I picked yours.'"

King County Sgt. Ryan Abbott confirmed to Patch that the officers are deputies (the sheriff's office staffs Burien police), but had not as of Friday identified them. Mason's eyesight is bad, Downing said, so she couldn't see which department the cops were from.

Downing said that his grandmother called him excitedly to tell him what happened. Not only did the officers buy dinner, but they also sent the women home with slices of Huckleberry Square's pie (and yes, the restaurant does specialize in huckleberry pie).

Downing is planning to travel to Burien to visit his grandmother soon. He fully expects she'll want to go back to her favorite restaurant.

"Just about every time I walk in the door, 'Did you eat yet? Let's go to Huckleberry's," Downing said.

Photo courtesy AJ Downing, Google Maps