NJ man braves rain, gets free meal

One New Jersey diner wasn’t going to let a little (ok, a lot) of rain ruin his coconut shrimp.

In a viral video, the man is seen finishing his meal at Used to Be’s in Mantoloking despite getting soaked by the rain. The man, dining alone, unruffled, calmly finishes his coconut shrimp in the middle of the rain shower. See the NJ.com video below.

This came just a few days after outdoor dining was deemed allowable, so maybe his pent up desire to eat out overrode his desire to be dry, but it doesn’t appear as if the rain bothered him at all. According to our sister station, 94.3 The Point the staff at the restaurant offered to move his table once the rain started, but he chose to remain where he was. It’s been suggested that maybe he was/is a letter carrier and therefore he couldn’t be bothered by a little rain, or maybe he’s just a hardy soul.

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After the video of him eating in the rain went viral, the search began to find out the identity of the mystery diner. Used to Be’s wanted to give the man a free meal to thank him for his fortitude and devotion to the restaurant. Apparently, the mystery has been solved! According to Used to Be’s Facebook page, not only has the man been identified (although they didn’t make his name public) and the free meal enjoyed. According to the comments section, a t-shirt and a gift card were given to the man, as well. The update was posted on July 4th, so I guess he had a nice holiday meal; this time he got to enjoy his food in the sunshine.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Doyle. Any opinions expressed are Bill Doyle's own.