McDonald’s has announced that it will grant Charles Ramsey free food for the next year. The man has become something of a folk hero after helping to rescue the three Cleveland women held captive by Ariel Castro.
The good-will gesture follows after Ramsey mentioned in several interviews that he had previously gone to McDonald’s before rescuing the women and was carrying a half-eaten Big Mac at the time. The restaurant company will also donate $10,000 to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in the names of Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michele Knight, the three women who were held hostage for years.
Twitter was lit up by requests for McDonald’s to respond after Ramsey namedropped the company in multiple interviews. McDonald’s spokeswoman Danya Proud indicated that they received so many suggestions that the company felt compelled to respond.
What’s more, 14 local Ohio restaurants announced they’ll also give him free burgers for life. Ramsey has been granted a ‘Chuck Card’ for the access at participating restaurants. The Hodges restaurant in downtown Cleveland that Ramsey works as a dishwasher is going even further. The establishment is now offering the Ramsey Burger, modeled after the Big Mac.
Hodges manager Nate Gosselin said they sold 50 Ramsey Burgers the first day they were offered two weeks ago; the restaurant usually sells 20 burgers a day, total. “It’s been wildly popular,” he said. “It’s even on our permanent new menu now.”
Gosselin said that partnering with the other restaurants to give Ramsey free burgers was an easy decision. “It was a really great gesture and something that we want to recognize him for,” he said.
Source: CNN.com
