WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Aug. 2 (UPI) -- The owner of a diner in North Carolina said she and her servers will often give customers a 15 percent discount for publicly praying before eating their meal.

Mary Haglund, owner of Mary's Gourmet Diner in Winston-Salem, said she's been giving the discount for four years, but the tradition made headlines last week after one customer posted her receipt on Facebook.


"For me, every plate of food is a gift," Haglund told The Blaze, confirming the practice. "And I never take that for granted and when I see someone in a restaurant honoring their gratefulness at my table ... it touches my heart."

The 60-year-old said not every customer receives the discount and that it's up to the discretion of the staff.

"It's just a moment or faithfulness about the plate of food," she said. "It's not even a policy — it's [something] we only do when we're moved to do it."

Z88.3 radio station in Orlando, Fla., posted a photo of the receipt showing the 15 percent discount.