A three-minute detour and a kind gesture turned into an 80,000 percent tip and a five-figure payday for an Idaho pizza driver on the verge of retirement.
A door cam video of Dan Simpson, a 68-year-old Domino’s delivery worker in Boise, went viral after he stopped at a convenience store to buy Diet Cokes for a customer when his restaurant ran out — a beyond-the-call-of-duty gesture that has now resulted in more than $46,000 in tips on a GoFundMe page launched by the customer.
Brian Wilson, the customer, did not answer Simpson’s pre-delivery request for a substitution for soda, so Simpson went across the street to get two-liter bottles for his delivery in late March.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Wilson says repeatedly in the door cam video when Simpson presented two bottles.
Wilson wanted to increase his tip on his receipt but had no cash on him.
“They say I went the extra mile, but for goodness’ sake, it was no big deal,” Simpson later said.
“On the surface, it probably looked like such a small gesture,” Wilson told the Idaho Statesman in a story also picked up by the California Post. “But to us, it felt like so much more than that. That kind of thoughtfulness and personal care just feels so rare these days.”
The Idaho newspaper calculated the tip exceeded 80,000 percent.
Footage of their viral interaction on TikTok resulted in 600,000 views and generated the wave of support. Wilson launched the crowd sourcing page and it not only reached its first target goal of $45,000 in a week — as of Easter Sunday, it stood at $46,837.
Wilson, who has been delivering pizza at night for 14 years to supplement his income for the Idaho Department of Agriculture, will be retiring at the end of April.
Wilson also revealed the moment moved him to help Dan “step into retirement feeling appreciated, supported, and celebrated,” as he wrote on the GoFundMe.
Simpson found the viral response hard to believe.
“This can’t be real,” he said, recalling how he kept checking his phone as donations poured in. “I’m thinking, ‘This has got to be some kind of a scam.’”
The senior delivery driver, who works nights to supplement his job with the Idaho Department of Agriculture, said he has always tried to help others.
Simpson revealed that he landed behind bars years ago after a drunk driving charge, got sober, and returned to school more than 20 years ago. Despite the job with the state, like many Americans, he has struggled to save for retirement despite years of work.
Getting the Diet Coke for the couple came as second nature.
“I’ve always tried to be a pretty nice guy and help people out because I know what it’s like to be down and out,” he said.
The $46,000 windfall is a blessing out of the blue that people in 12-step recovery fellowships typically call a “God shot.”
“The world needs more Dans,” Wilson wrote in his TikTok caption.
Simpson told the Statesmen he will use part of the money toward a trip to see the majestic redwood trees in California after retiring.
He plans to continue delivering pizza for Domino’s.
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of the Los Angeles crime novel Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. He also co founded Primary Purpose Productions, a film company that makes short films that inspire alcoholics to seek recovery. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
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