HAMBURG, N.Y. (WKBW) — Bills wide receiver DJ Moore turned an ordinary Tuesday lunch into an unforgettable moment for diners at ZJ's Family Restaurant in Hamburg, picking up the tab for several tables after a stranger paid for his meal.
Carol Conklin and her friend Kathy were finishing lunch at the restaurant when they got a surprise at the checkout counter.
"We were just leaving the restaurant when we went up to pay, and the cashier looked at us, and she said, 'You don't owe any money,' and I said, 'How can that be?' And she said, 'Well, DJ Moore paid for your lunch,'" Conklin said.
Server Carol Poules had a front-row seat to the generous chain of events. Poules said Moore had been dining quietly with his wife and mother-in-law when another customer recognized him and anonymously paid for the player's meal. Apparently moved by the gesture, Moore decided to pay it forward in a big way.
"He handed it to me, and he just said, 'This is for everyone's meal that's sitting here, and the rest is for you.' And I said, 'Go Bills' probably, right?" Poules said.
According to Poules, Moore covered the bill for six or seven tables plus counter customers, spending a couple hundred dollars and adding a generous tip.
"It was so exciting, it was so exciting. It was a pinch-me moment. Very cool," Poules said. "He just seems like a good, genuine person. You could tell that."
WATCH: Bills wide receiver DJ Moore pays for diners' lunches at Hamburg restaurant
As Moore left, Poules made sure other diners knew who to thank.
"That's DJ Moore, and he's paying for your meal, so why don't you just give him a 'Go Bills.' So they did, 'Go Bills.' And he turned around and said, 'Go Bills.' And then the customer said, 'God bless you.' And he turned around and said, 'God bless you too,'" Poules said.
For Conklin, it's a moment she won't soon forget.
"Nothing's ever happened like that to us before where someone will buy your lunch, and somebody like that, we were thrilled," Conklin said.
It was Conklin who reached out to 7 News to share the story of Moore's generosity.
On the field, Moore is coming off a shoulder injury sustained in the Bills' Thursday night win over Detroit. He worked out in a non-contact jersey on Wednesday as the Bills prepare to host the Chargers on Sunday.
