Teen Dairy Queen manager's good deed gets attention

MINNEAPOLIS

Joey Prusak says he doesn't know what all the fuss is about. He just did the right thing.

He was working when he saw a customer steal a blind man's $20 bill that fell out of his pocket. The 19-year-old said he was appalled when the woman slipped the cash into her own purse.

When she went up to the counter to order, Prusak said he wouldn't serve her unless she returned the money. When she refused, the young store manager went a step further.

Prusak gave the visually impaired customer who hadn't realized he'd dropped the money $20 out of his own pocket.

Prusak didn't tell anyone about it, other than the other employee in the store. But another customer saw the incident and sent an email to Dairy Queen. The email was forwarded to store owner Dave Pettit, who posted it at the store. Another employee took a picture, which has been circulating online.

Since then, Prusak has received loads of praise. People are calling the store, thanking Prusak and even offering him jobs. Customer traffic at the Hopkins Dairy Queen has doubled, and many people are leaving large tips - money that Prusak says he will donate to charity.

His good deed even got the attention of billionaire Warren Buffett, whose company owns Dairy Queen.

Prusak said they talked for about 10 minutes and Buffett thanked him for being a good role model for other employees.

The teen has worked at the Hopkins Dairy Queen since he was 14, and is trying to save money to go to school to study business management.

Dean Peters, a spokesman for International Dairy Queen, said the company is figuring out how to reward Prusak.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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