Retired high school business teacher and athletics coach Gil Walker has become a cherished regular at the local Dunkin’ Donuts in Concord, Calif. He found the store when the pandemic began, and he couldn’t continue one of his favorite routines — meeting friends at his longtime coffee shop. Since he couldn’t get out of his car, he began looking for places he could just drive through and not have to get out of his truck. One of those places was the local Dunkin’ Donuts. On one of his early visits, the 81-year-old arrived with an envelope containing 14 $20 bills, one for each employee. Knowing that people in the area aren’t rich, he decided he would do what he could to help out a bit. The store’s owner, Matt Cobo, and his team were stunned. What followed was something even more special: a growing friendship between Gil and the staff, who now lovingly call him “Grandpa.” Each morning, they eagerly wait for his arrival, ready with his usual order — an iced coffee and a maple bar for him, and a carefully customized iced chai latte — known around the store as “The Ginny” — for his wife. However, no matter how many times Gil tries to pay, the answer is always the same: no. The staff has made it their mission to return Grandpa's kindness in their own way, often joking that the register is “broken” or that the customer ahead already covered it. The store owner has even posted a playful sign that reads, “Anyone who lets ‘Grandpa’ pay is terminated immediately.”
