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Utah Chick-fil-A employee catered wedding out of his own pocket

Chick-fil-A
Posted at 10:14 AM, Oct 12, 2022
and last updated 2022-10-12 12:14:43-04

CENTERVILLE, Utah — A Chick-fil-A employee in Centerville, Utah, took the restaurant's "my pleasure" catchphrase to the extreme in an incredible showing of generosity.

Jared Larson has worked at the Chick-fil-A location since he was 16, and while he's currently an officer with the Davis County Jail, he still lends a hand when needed.

It was back in July when friends of Larson reached out in a panic, saying the couple's wedding caterer had dropped out of sight just days before the big event and taken the soon-to-be newlyweds' money.

With little money left for food at the reception, the couple asked Larson if Chick-fil-A could possibly help.

He didn't bother heading to corporate, instead deciding to help by arranging for the wedding to be catered on his own dime.

"They gave me a guest list, and I placed the order through Chick-fil-A myself," said Larson.

With between 150-200 wedding guests, Larson filled a tall order, supplying the reception with up to 2,000 chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese.

"It was a very popular dish at the wedding. They were very happy to see Chick-fil-A catering," Larson remembered.

In a letter sent to Larson's bosses, a family member of the newlyweds shared what happened next.

"At the end of the reception, I went to [Larson], thanked him profusely, and asked what I owed him. His response was, 'It's been my pleasure. There's no bill.' Never have we had such kindness shown us," she wrote.

Larson indeed agreed to pay the entire bill, never asking for reimbursement. It wasn't until his Chick-fil-A restaurant in Centerville learned of Larson's gesture did they offer to reimburse their employee.

For Larson, he said his act of kindness was something instilled in him while working for Chick-fil-A and that the words "my pleasure" are more than just a company motto.

"My pleasure is a very common phrase at Chick-fil-A. Very often, if you say thank you to a Chick-fil-A team member, they will respond with 'my pleasure.' That goes all the way back to our roots in the 1960s. Our founder was very fond of the phrase and the service and the ability to convey to someone how much it really is our pleasure to serve," shared Larson. "So that phrase carries a lot of weight at Chick-fil-A."

Jeff Tavss at KSTU first reported this story.