By Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen in Saint Joseph, Missouri, became the setting for an unlikely farewell, after staff quietly stepped in to help a grieving customer honor his aging black Labrador retriever with one last meal, writes The Today Show.
The story, shared by Cousin Homer—a local musician and TikTok creator—in an August 10 video that has since drawn more than 3.4 million views, recounts the final day of his 13-year-old dog, Bella. “I’m standing here in front of Cheddar’s restaurant and I’m going to tell the whole world what you did,” he says in the clip. “Not long ago, I had to put my best friend of 13 years to sleep, and I miss her terribly.”
Homer had phoned the restaurant seeking its largest steak—no sides, he explained, because the meal was for Bella, who was set to be euthanized that afternoon. He later added french fries, thinking she might enjoy them. What followed was an unusually human response. “Misty, one of my servers, got the phone call,” said Ben Hallauer, the restaurant’s managing partner. “I mean, we’re all pet lovers. So after that happened, she actually went to my manager, Ron, and was like, ‘Listen … we can’t charge him for this.’”
@cousinhomer I’m telling everyone what Cheddars Restaurant did. #cheddars #cheddarsscratchkitchen #rainbowbridge #mansbestfriend #steakdinner ♬ Perfect Peace Soft Beautiful Piano Background – Music Lighthouse
When Homer arrived, the manager waived the bill and offered condolences. Inside the bag, he found a card signed by the entire shift. “I opened up the bag of food to find this card inside with it,” he says. “It was laying right on top of her box of food and … it looks like everyone who was on staff that day signed it. So, I just want to publicly say thank you Cheddar’s for being so kind and thoughtful. It really meant the world to me.”
Bella devoured her send-off. “She really loved it,” Homer recalled. “I cut it up into pieces and hand-fed it to her … and she ate the french fries, too.”
The events occurred in 2023, but Homer waited two years before posting, saying the grief was too raw. “Her hips gave out on her and she just was in so much pain,” he explained. “I got to where I’d have to pick her up to carry her outside … I just didn’t want to see her suffering.”
The video drew a wave of comments from viewers offering their own stories of losing pets. “I’ve received a lot of love, a lot of really kind messages,” Homer said. “Everybody has a story. And if you have a dog, hopefully you get it.”
On August 29, he posted a follow-up: Cheddar’s corporate team had seen the video and sent a care package, including a blanket and another card signed by employees. “I mean, we’re real people. At the end of the day, we feel these same things,” Hallauer said. “We want to do this with people, we all deal with things like this. We want to be able to give back.”
@cousinhomer CHEDDAR’S Restaurant Did It AGAIN. Wow!! (A Must See). #cheddars #cheddarsscratchkitchen #rainbowbridge #steakdinner #compassion @Cheddar’s ♬ Perfect Peace Soft Beautiful Piano Background – Music Lighthouse
Homer—along with his wife, daughter, and their remaining pets, dogs Toby and Waylon and a cat named Kitty—said the simple gesture had become a lasting memory. “To you, your dog is a huge part of your life but to your dog, you are everything,” he reflected. “You’ve got to be where they’re right there with them, holding their paw, looking them in the eye.”
