Boonville, IN, Restaurant Honors 34-Year-Old Free Dinner Coupon

A Wholesome Small Town Story from Boonville

I was poking around on Facebook the other day and ran across a really cool post in the Boonville Community News group. First off, I just want to say how much I love the Boonville and Chandler groups. I literally saw a post once that said something like, "I just drove past the corner of 'this' street and 'that' street and the dog at the blue house wants in." The owner promptly replied, "Thanks, she went out to potty and she's back inside!"

The post I recently saw was just as wholesome, and it turned out to be a really cool story. I reached out to Melissa Shell to get the full story, and she was lovely. The post was about an IOU coupon that was obviously a bit dated. It read:

"Shout out to Long John’s in Boonville. I found a coupon for a free kids meal dated 2-3-92. We took it in as a joke but they actually honored it! Customer loyalty at its finest!"

A Throwback Coupon Brings Smiles

Bad customer service seems to be everywhere these days, so seeing a small town restaurant go above and beyond was awesome. Melissa told me she received two coupons, along with a Certificate of Participation, when she competed in the Heritage Hills High School Science Fair - one for McDonald's and one for Long John Silver's.

Her mother had given her a box of childhood belongings, and the coupons were in there. The coupons traveled around the country with her, all the way to Alaska and back to the local area. Recently, while doing some winter cleaning, she came across the envelope, decided to open it, and found the coupons inside.

Some Fantastic Customer Service

Melissa took the Long John Silver's coupon in as a joke to show the employees, but the Assistant GM, Jessica Basham, offered to honor it. I reached out to Jessica, and she told me they always try to give guests the best experience possible.

"We've been here for a long time, and we want our guests to keep coming back, so we try to give them the best experience we can," she said. They even hung up the 1992 coupon in the dining area as a fun throwback.

A Sweet Example of Customer Loyalty

Melissa said she might try her hand at using the McDonald's coupon, too. Will Ronald honor the old coupon? Time will tell. Either way, it is a heartwarming reminder that small towns and local businesses still have big hearts and sometimes, the little things really do make a lasting impression. Want to visit the Long John Silver's in Boonville? They are located right on Main Street! 

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