Immature prank against Sault burger joint leads to 2 incredible acts of kindness

Prank turns heartwarming as Sault Ste. Marie's StackBurger donates an unclaimed $400 order to a local homeless shelter.

A large, unclaimed takeout order at Stackburger, a local restaurant in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., initially appeared to be a prank – but the story took a heartwarming turn thanks to the owner and an anonymous good Samaritan.

On Thursday, the restaurant prepared a substantial order – including 10 Double Stackburgers, five Stackburgers, five cheeseburgers, five chicken sandwiches, five poutines, five to 10 orders of fries and 20 milkshakes – for a 1:30 p.m. pickup.

When no one arrived, staff tried calling the number that was provided, only to find it out of service.

“We learned a hard lesson today,” Stackburger posted on social media.

“Going forward, we will have to make changes for large call-in orders.”

The restaurant, which regularly handles big takeout orders, had never dealt with this sort of issue in its 10 years of operation.

Despite the disappointment, owner Kevin Syrette ensured the food didn’t go to waste. The burger joint donated the entire $439.20 order to Pauline’s Place, a local shelter for women, youth and families experiencing homelessness.

Anonymous goodwill gesture

The story quickly spread across the Sault, thanks to Stackburger’s post and a subsequent thank you message on the Pauline’s Place’s Facebook page.

Hours after sharing the incident online, an unexpected visitor arrived at the restaurant. Syrette said a person who had seen the social media post asked about the unclaimed order’s total.

“My cashier was like, ‘No, no, it’s OK,’” the owner recounted.

But the individual insisted, paying the full $439.20 while requesting anonymity.

“As a small business, this amount of money is significant, so we are forever grateful,” Stackburger wrote in a follow-up post.

“We feel this act of kindness speaks volumes to our community.”

Truly a story of community support

The incident highlighted both the challenges small businesses face and the generosity of the community.

While the original caller – who identified themselves as “Chris” – never returned, the anonymous payment and donation to Pauline’s Place turned a frustrating situation into a positive outcome for the Steel City.

“With the help of our Stackburger family, we were able to turn a negative experience into a positive,” the restaurant said.

Pauline’s Place, located on Wellington Street West, provides emergency shelter and basic necessities for those in need – making the donation a meaningful contribution.

In messages to CTV News, Stackburger thanked supporters and the benefactor for their kindness – proving that even an apparent immature prank can have a happy ending.