Pay-it-Forward Chain Goes on for 228 Coffee Orders

When a customer at a Tim Hortons coffee shop in Canada decided to pay for the order of the car behind him in the drive-thru line, he unknowingly sparked three hours of holiday season giving. The Dec. 21 chain reaction involved 228 customers "paying it forward" by paying for the people behind them, the Winnipeg Free Press reports. Indoor customers got into the fun too, when they heard what was going on in the drive-thru line.

"There was a lot of energy in the store," says the general manager. "Our team was really excited and shouting out the number of pay it forwards all morning." Tim Hortons had itself been engaged in a similar campaign: As part of its "Random Cups of Kindness" week, the stores would periodically pay for the tabs of random customers.