Cohen Naulty, The Quarter Boy FB Cohen Naulty, The Quarter Boy FB
A restaurant in Lynchburg, Virginia shamed a 17-year-old boy on Facebook for paying for his and his friend’s meal, in part, in loose change, mostly quarters.
The teen Cohen Naulty was offended and people that saw the Beer 88 social media post began to line up in favor of the kid. And the exchanges with commenters got a little testy and the restaurant was defensive but still, the owner told local media that paying for a meal in change is unfair to wait staff. Most didn’t argue that it might be a hassle, but to shame a teen paying for friend’s and he to eat out on Facebook was not cool.
So not cool that Beer 88 left Facebook. But Cohen went straight there and created ‘The Quarter Boy’ Facebook page and a movement was born.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. ‘We Are Beer 88, Not CoinStar,’ Posted a Restaurant on Facebook, Ticked Off it Was Paid in Coins. But Admitted They Were Left a Hefty Tip
Cohen said he “took a few friends out to lunch and only had enough to pay for theirs meal with quarters. Though it was enough for the meal and a great tip, I was blasted on Facebook by the restaurant for paying in quarters. It was not a good day,” he wrote.
This is the now deleted post her was referring to.
“We’ll just caption this…How NOT to pay at a restaurant, cause that’s the nicest thing we can think to say about this ridiculousness,” Beer 88 wrote, adding the hashtags #wearebeer88notcoinstar, #nohometraining and #workingwiththepublic.
The Beer 88 Facebook page was shuttered after people shared a general outrage.
2. Cohen Works as a Server at Another Restaurant, is Likely Among the Last to Get Tipped Out & the Change Pays for His Meals Out
His mother told local media that Beer 88 had her kid all wrong, especially when it came to the bit about #nohometraining: “If anybody met Cohen, they know it couldn’t be the farthest thing from the truth, and you know… he’s a good kid.
He told Munchies, that as a 17-year-old server, he used his own tips to pay the tab: “I walked there with my friends and that is all I had to take with me. As a waiter I have a lot of change at the end of the day. Without a car I can’t just drive somewhere to change it all in whenever I want.”
4. Cohen, Who Decided to Make Lemonade Out of the Lemons of a Day, Created The Quarter Boy Facebook Page as a ‘Charity Organization’ to ‘Make Someone’s Day’ With ‘Change For Meals
After the shaming, Cohen said he “had a great idea.”
“I love paying for people’s meals even if I have to scrape together my last quarters to do so. This whole thing made me realize how much I love doing this and why… Even if I get made fun of for it! Everyone had bad days now and then. A bad day can make you see the world in a very dark and depressing way. But, one little act of kindness can change a person’s entire prospective about their life. I love picking up the tab for others and seeing what it does for them,” he wrote.
So he decided to find area restaurants that “didn’t mind being paid in quarters” and then he’d use his tip money to treat one person a week to a meal, on him.
“…just to see what this simple act of kindness could do for them! We will post videos so that you can see too how big a change just a little ‘change’ can make,” he wrote asking restaurants to post on the page if they don’t mind getting paid in coins.”
“If you would like to join the fun and see what a few quarters can do… go to my fundraising link and donate today,” he wrote.
4. In Less Than 20 Hours, Cohen Had Commitments From Restaurants & Was Preparing to Buy Someone Dinner Tuesday Night
May Lynn’s Creamery and Bootleggers agreed to accept change for a meal tab. So Cohen said he was going out to “buy some lucky peeps some treats.”
And other restaurants also were game.
“Come to Violino Ristorante Italiano we will gladly Except your quarters!”
5. People Are Moved & Inspired by ‘The Quarter Boy’ & One Person Posted That Facing Divorce, This Story ‘Gave Me Hope’
“You’re an inspiration and have restored our faith in today’s youth!”
“I’ve lived by 4 words. Live True, Be True. You keep doing you. We can all see you have a huge heart of gold. Thank you.”
“I have the upmost respect for this man right here! He did what anybody would do! Bud I respect that you paid your tab by any means necessary. You abided by the law and paid your bill! I wish nothing but the best for you! And hope that you will continue to be blessed!”
Meanwhile, a Facebook fundraising page was set up for Cohen to do his thing: “Turning a bad day around one meal at a time!”