Secret Santa at A&W in Franksville pays it forward with act of kindness that continued for 30 minutes

FRANKSVILLE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Happiness and joy are everywhere this time of the year; people are finding it in the smallest and even most unexpected of places.

That was the case at the A&W in Franksville on Thursday, Dec. 19, when the drive-thru window became the place for people to pay it forward.

One by one, people paid for the meals of the person behind them in line. The small gesture of kindness a big way to spread some holiday cheer.

“We had this gentleman who offered to pay for the car behind him, and then the car after that, and then it was just a domino effect after that. Really cool to witness and be a part of,” said Dana Bauer, a manager at the Franksville A&W.

A&W Manager Dana Bauer was helping take orders at the drive-thru when a secret Santa pulled up in his sleigh.

“He just asked what the total was for the car behind him, we told him, and he just said just to wish them a Merry Christmas and it was very, very sweet,” Bauer said.

For over 30 minutes, the holiday cheer spread, people selflessly paying for the next order in line.

“They were like, oh wow really? And they wanted to do it too,” said Bauer. “The prices of the meals vary, but people didn’t care, they were happy to pay it forward and do it for the next car.”

Patrons we spoke with said it was heartwarming to see.

“It’s a special time of year and it’s also a hard time of year for many people,” said Diana Limbach. “And I think doing something like that just gives everybody a little warm feeling inside to know that people are good and nice things happen.”