Mystery diner leaves tip, heartwarming note in honor of friend killed during 9/11

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG/Gray News) – A mystery customer left a heartwarming message at a diner in Toledo, Ohio this weekend, and now the owners are hoping to find the man who left it.

Amy Tambouratzis, co-owner of the Green Lantern on Broadway, was working on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and was waiting on a new customer.

She told WTVG the man ordered a breakfast that cost about $10 and then walked out, leaving behind a $120 tip and a note written on a napkin that read:

“Lost my best friend in NYC 20 years ago today. He loved this place so much. You guys and the food are the best. Be safe. God bless.” -Patrick

“To hear that somebody loved this place so much, and to hear that his friend came in here on the day of his death is really heartwarming and I think it touched a lot of people,” Tambouratzis said.

Tambouratzis went outside to thank the man and give him a hug, but he was already leaving.

The restaurant turned to social media in hopes of finding the man and the Facebook post received 10,000 views in about two days.

“I’d like to give him a hug,” Tambouratzis said. “I just want to know the story. I’d like to know his friend who came in here.”

The restaurant owners plan to frame the note and hang it on the wall as a way to honor the man’s friend who died on Sept. 11, 2001.

“It’s so amazing because this place has been around since 1927 and we get stories that happen here all the time, but this was quite unique,” Tambouratzis said.

Anyone who knows the man that left the note or how to get in touch with him is asked to contact the Green Lantern.

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