Customer ends ‘pay-it-forward’ line at drive thru after refusing to pay $45 order

A fast-food customer recently sparked a debate online after he shared his experience of ending a “pay-it-forward” line at a drive-thru when asked to pay for the next customer’s much larger order.

There’s something undeniably satisfying about pulling up to a drive-thru and realizing that someone has already paid for your meal. It’s a moment that can make you feel warm and grateful. But does receiving such a random act of kindness mean you’re obligated to pass it on to the next person? This is the question raised by TikTok user Darius, who goes by @chefboyardarius.

Darius, who had just finished his shift, stopped by a Bojangles restaurant one morning to grab a sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit—well, three biscuits, to be exact. He was ready to pay for his order when the cashier surprised him by telling him that the customer ahead of him had already paid $15 to cover his meal.

“I was like, ‘Wow, thank you! That’s so generous,'” Darius recalled in his TikTok video. However, the surprise didn’t end there. When Darius was about to pay, the cashier asked him if he wanted to continue the chain by paying for the next person’s order. Apparently, he had entered a “pay-it-forward” line where multiple customers had already participated.

Curious, Darius asked how much the customer behind him had spent. He was taken aback when he found out the total was $45.38—significantly more than the $15 he had expected to pay.

“I didn’t sign up to feed an army,” Darius joked in his video. “Who spends $45 at Bojangles?” He laughed it off, but the situation made him pause before continuing the chain.

In the end, Darius thanked the person who had paid for his meal but politely declined to continue the chain for the person behind him. He simply said, “I don’t know what to tell you,” and left it at that.

After sharing his experience on TikTok, Darius received mixed reactions from viewers, many of whom weighed in with their own opinions on the pay-it-forward concept.

One viewer sympathized with Darius, acknowledging that “the chain has to be broken at some point.” They pointed out that while the gesture is nice, it can sometimes become overwhelming, especially if the next customer’s order is unexpectedly large. “Employees probably don’t enjoy the pressure of keeping it going,” they added.

On the other hand, some viewers were strong supporters of the pay-it-forward mentality. One person commented, “Just yesterday I paid for the cars behind me. I didn’t ask how much their order was, and I didn’t care if they kept it going. It’s about being kind.”

Another viewer suggested a practical compromise. They explained that if they found themselves in a similar situation, they would pay the exact amount of their own order and let the customer behind them cover any remaining balance. “That way, I’m not caught off guard with a big bill,” they said. This approach would allow them to keep the generosity going without worrying about an unexpectedly high cost.

While the concept of paying it forward has long been celebrated as a way to spread kindness, it’s clear that there are many factors to consider, particularly when the next person’s bill is much higher than expected. Some argue that small acts of kindness are meaningful, while others feel that the practice can become burdensome if it’s taken too far.

At the end of the day, the “pay-it-forward” tradition is all about generosity and goodwill. However, as Darius’ experience shows, the act of kindness can sometimes come with its own set of challenges. Whether you decide to continue the chain or not, it’s important to remember that kindness should feel good for everyone involved—not just for the person receiving it, but also for the person giving.

So, what do you think? Would you have continued the pay-it-forward line even if the next order was $45, or would you have followed Darius’ lead and politely declined? Whatever your opinion, the debate over how far generosity should go is sure to continue for some time.