$2 act of kindness toward little boy leads to $100 tip

Marcelino Benito | KHOU-TV, Houston

Show Caption Hide Caption Small act of kindness leads to a 5000% tip After helping a young boy who didn't have enough money to pay for his treat, a cashier got a surprise of his own. Find out how frozen custard brought two strangers together.

KATY, Texas — When a little boy came up to the counter at an eatery here, he had his money ready, hoping he had enough for a mini mint Oreo custard.

"He wants to order dessert," said Travis Sattler, who was manning the cash register. "He was a little nervous. Ends up handing me everything he had."

But all of the coins and a few dollar bills he had Wednesday weren't enough to get his desire.

"He was maybe $2 short," Sattler said.

So Sattler, who was just a few minutes from the end of his shift, pulled out his own credit card.

"It's on me," the cashier said, remembering the child's gratitude. "He had the biggest eyes, the widest smile."

A half hour later, the same little boy handed Sattler a note as he and his mother walked out.

"It says, 'Thank you for being so nice and paying for my custard. We need more people like you,'" Sattler read.

Wrapped up inside the note was a $100 bill. Sattler plans to save the generous tip for nursing school.

"I like to think that I made a good impact on their day, and I kind of brightened it up, just like they did mine," Sattler said.

No one's prouder than his boss at Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers.

"Travis' face is probably a face that boy will remember for a long time," said Padden Nelson, who owns the Katy location of the franchise, about 30 miles west of Houston.

Officials at Freddy's, based in Wichita, Kan., said they plan on giving Sattler an extra $100.

The restaurant also wants to find the boy's family. They have gift cards waiting for them — all because of two strangers' simple acts of kindness that started with a small cup of custard.

"We all need to look out for each other," Sattler said.