Editor’s note: In an effort to support local businesses that are being threatened by the devastating effects of the coronavirus, The Athletic is publishing an ongoing series of stories to highlight our treasured communities. #supportlocal

It was St. Patrick’s Day weekend and the United States was essentially shutting down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Business owners, big and small, were panicking and justifiably so.

A handful of business owners in Pittsburgh, however, don’t have anything to worry about anything thanks to the resident future Hall of Fame quarterback.

Ben Roethlisberger decided to make their financial troubles disappear.

“What he did is so incredible that it’s pretty hard to put into words,” said Austin Smith, the co-owner of Any Given Sundae, a popular ice cream shop located in Franklin Park.

Smith and his father, Scott, are from Jackson, Mich., but opened the ice cream shop in Pittsburgh’s North Hills in 2011. Starting last August, a very famous Pittsburgh celebrity became a regular along with his family.

Photo courtesy of Austin Smith

“One of our regular customers suggested to Ben that he should starting coming here with his family,” Smith said. “They’ve been coming here ever since August, pretty regularly. Sometimes it’s just Ben and his wife (Ashley). Usually it’s Ben, his wife and their three kids. Ben has been in here with his parents. It’s a pretty normal thing to see him in here with his whole family. It’s always nice to have him in here. He’s always just so nice, so kind.”

Smith isn’t kidding.

According to Smith, this is a phone call that transpired on March 14.

Hey, it’s Ben.

Hey Ben, how are you?

I’m doing OK. But I want to help you guys out.

Later that day, Roethlisberger arrived at Any Given Sundae. He didn’t show up to get a milkshake. Instead, he started purchasing droves of $50 gift cards and didn’t stop until he had spent many thousands of dollars.

Roethlisberger didn’t bring a camera crew. In fact, he made it quite clear to Smith that he wasn’t interested in any publicity. He just wanted to do the right thing.

“It was a very, very significant amount,” Smith said. “He deserves attention for what he did, honestly. Especially at that time, we didn’t even know if our business was going to be open the next day, or if we were going to have to shut down like other businesses. I can’t begin to tell you what an incredible relief it’s been for all of us. To say that it helped us would be a huge understatement. What it did was give us a really big cushion, a big relief. We are now under the belief that we’re going to be just fine financially whenever this all ends, whenever that is.”

Smith estimated that Any Given Sundae’s business has been reduced by 40 to 50 percent during the past month.

“It’s a far cry from where we’re used to being right now because spring is getting into what is our best time of the year,” he said. “So, I wouldn’t say business has been totally horrible. We were still surviving. But it hasn’t been anywhere close to as good as usual, and what Ben did for us helped us in a big, big way.”

Smith’s jaw dropped when he saw the amount of money Roethlisberger spent on that Saturday afternoon.

“Oh my gosh,” he said. “I told him that I didn’t really know how to thank him for what he had just done for our business. He said, ‘Don’t worry about it, Austin. Thank you for being here, for doing what you do. We appreciate you.’ I still don’t even know what to say about it. It was just an incredibly kind gesture, to say the least. It was an unbelievable thing for him to do. He didn’t have to do anything like that, obviously. But he chose to help us out, and it means the world.”

A former employee of Any Given Sundae said that Roethlisberger is helping a deserving family.

“I can honestly say that Austin and Scott are two of the kindest people that I have ever met,” Jackson Neofes said. “Working for them taught me a lot about respect, thoughtfulness and understanding. They were like mentors to me and I gained a lot of valuable experience from them.”

The Smith family isn’t the only one to be positively impacted by Roethlisberger during the past month. According to multiple sources, Roethlisberger has made similar financial exchanges with a number of local businesses, from a pizza shop in Sewickley to other North Hills businesses.

And he’s hardly pocketing the gift cards for himself.

Roethlisberger and his family are taking the gift certificates and randomly leaving them in mailboxes throughout the Pittsburgh area.

“That’s what he told me he was going to do,” Smith said. “He told me he was going to stuff them in people’s mailboxes so people would have a present during a tough time. How great is that? I think that says a lot about what kind of person he is.”

Roethlisberger isn’t the first celebrity to enter Any Given Sundae. Notable Pittsburgh athletes such as Marc-Andre Fleury, Brandon Sutter and Josh Harrison have been regulars.

But he now possesses a special place in the company’s heart.

In Roethlisberger’s younger days, his reputation in local businesses, fairly or not, wasn’t always favorable. Smith laughs when he speaks of this, explaining that rumors from more than a decade ago were either utterly bogus or that Roethlisberger, 38, is a much different and better man.

“From the day he came into our shop, he was just the nicest, kindest person,” Smith said. “Trust me, I know about what his reputation used to be. I’m not from Pittsburgh, but you hear that stuff. But I can honestly tell you that nothing could be further from the truth. He’s got this amazing family. Just the nicest, most polite kids. They’re always saying, ‘Thank you,’ or ‘Thank you, sir,’ when they get their ice cream. Incredible kids. Ben and Ashley are incredibly warm people. I can’t say enough about them.”

When Any Given Sundae opened nine years ago, business was slow because of a Bruster’s across the street.

After a couple of years, however, business started to take off. It’s still going strong because the quarterback who intends on making his long-awaited return from elbow surgery, decided to lend a helping hand.

Before he can throw touchdown passes next fall, he was making deliveries of a different kind.

Smith is from Michigan but doesn’t hide his allegiance.

“I was never into football much because the Lions were never any good,” Smith said with a laugh. “But I can say I’m a Steelers fan, especially now. I have a pretty strong rooting interest in one guy in particular.”

(The Athletic illustration)