Every day, police officers, emergency workers, and first responders put their lives at danger to safeguard our communities.

It doesn’t matter how long it takes or what time it is; they always try to complete their tasks and sometimes work long hours to do so.

So, after a long, grueling day, these four Louisiana police officers decided to go to their local Outback Steakhouse for dinner.

What they didn’t expect was the surprise that awaited them once they finished their lunch.

The incident occurred at the Outback Steakhouse in Slidell, Louisiana, where four on-duty police officers went to fuel up after work, according to Fox8.

Everything went according to plan, and everything was normal.

Their supper was provided as expected, and nothing stood out about the night until the officers received their bill and were taken aback by a tremendous surprise.

“They’re the sweetest guys,” said Zoë Rao, a server at the Outback Steakhouse where the officers ate. “I enjoy waiting on them.”

However, what happened next sparked a lot of buzz on social media.

Manager Arline Wood, an 18-year company veteran, recognized the officers as regulars as they entered the restaurant.

She and waitress Zoë Rao made a strategy together.

When it came time for the cops to pay the $67 bill, they couldn’t believe what they saw on their receipt – but they soon discovered it was on the house.

Not only did the server and management pay their tab, but there was also a compassionate comment on the ticket praising them for their contributions to the community.

It said, “Be safe!” printed at the top and farther down it wrote, “Thank you for your service! “Enjoy your meal on us!”

“They care about their community. They care about everyone. They’re just nice folks. Arline Wood stated, “Our entire police force is great, and these guys at night, I went to Zoë and said, let’s take care of it.”

The officers apparently left a generous tip to express their thanks.

Later, the Slidell Police Department wanted to pay respect to the two Outback Steakhouse employees, so they posted a photograph of the receipt on Facebook.

It rapidly became viral.

However, Arline Wood and Zoë Rao did not intend this outcome. They did not want their great performance to be revealed in public.

In fact, when asked about it subsequently, Arline Wood admitted that the exposure had been a touch overwhelming.

“I got a phone call early in the morning and I was like what are you talking about?” Wood recalls.

“People were calling me and then we saw it on Facebook, then it’s on this one and that one, and we didn’t do it for this publicity, because Lord knows I don’t like all this publicity.”

But is it possible that all of this attention will yield something positive?

Arline and Zoë hope this modest act inspires others to show gratitude to those who put their lives on the line to defend us.

Congratulations to these women for setting a great example of how to appreciate our law enforcement personnel, who volunteer to go out and face evil every day so we don’t have to!

I believe this is the type of thing we should see more of, rather than hearing about police officers being denied service or being insulted by others.

Acts of appreciation like these remind them why they do what they do. Thank you to all first responders; you are highly appreciated!

Please share this on Facebook to encourage others to express their gratitude to those who risk their lives every day to keep us secure.