Skylar Jones was having lunch at the Subway inside a Walmart in Bluefield, Virginia, when she noticed something extraordinary happening at the next table.
An elderly woman had come in—moving slowly, clearly struggling. And the employee behind the counter didn’t just take her order. He came out from behind the counter, helped her to a table, read her the entire menu, explained every meal deal option in detail, and then went back to make her lunch.
With amazing enthusiasm. With genuine care.
When her food was ready, he brought it to her. Made sure she was comfortable. Treated her not like a burden or an obligation, but like someone whose presence and patronage mattered.
Skylar watched the whole thing, moved by the level of service she was witnessing. This wasn’t corporate-mandated customer service. This was a human being seeing another human being who needed help and providing it without hesitation or annoyance.
After the woman left, Skylar approached him. She told him what she’d witnessed. Told him how impressed she was. How his warm hospitality had warmed her soul.
“He went above and beyond with his customer service!” she later wrote. “I wish I would have gotten his name but if you go eat there, be sure to tell him what a great job he does! His warm hospitality today certainly warmed my soul!”
The photo, taken from a distance, shows the employee helping the elderly woman at her table. He’s bent slightly, attentive, clearly engaged in making sure she has everything she needs. It’s not posed. It’s just a moment of genuine care captured by someone who recognized it as special.
Stories like this matter because they remind us that exceptional service still exists. That not everyone treats their job as just a job. That some people—like this Subway worker in Bluefield—understand that the way you treat people matters more than efficiency, more than speed, more than hitting metrics.
He could have taken her order from behind the counter. Could have made her repeat herself from across the room. Could have been annoyed that she needed extra help, that she was moving slowly, that she required more time and patience than a typical customer.
Instead, he came to her. Helped her sit. Read her the entire menu. Explained options. Made her lunch with enthusiasm. Delivered it to her table.
He treated her with dignity. With patience. With the kind of warmth that makes people feel valued regardless of age, ability, or how much they’re spending.
Skylar didn’t get his name. But she made sure his actions were recognized. Made sure people knew that in a Walmart Subway in Bluefield, Virginia, there’s an employee who treats every customer—especially those who need extra care—with extraordinary kindness.
Customer service at that level is rare. Not because people don’t care, but because it requires effort beyond what’s expected. It requires seeing people as individuals, not transactions. It requires patience when you’re tired, warmth when you’re busy, kindness when no one is watching to reward you for it.
This employee gave all of that. To an elderly woman who needed help. Because it was the right thing to do.
And Skylar, watching from the next table, had her soul warmed by witnessing it.
Sometimes that’s all it takes to restore faith in humanity. Not grand gestures or viral moments. Just one person treating another with genuine care. One employee going above and beyond because someone needed it.
One lunch, made with amazing enthusiasm, that reminded everyone watching what service really means.