What began as a quick pit stop evolved into a significant windfall for an Idaho pizza delivery driver nearing retirement.
At 68, Dan Simpson, who delivers for Domino’s in Boise, found himself thrust into the spotlight after a spur-of-the-moment act of kindness. When the pizzeria ran out of Diet Cokes, Simpson made a quick trip to a nearby convenience store to fulfill a customer’s request, a gesture that has since resulted in over $40,000 in donations.
Brian Wilson, the customer in question, missed Simpson’s call about a soda alternative. Undeterred, Simpson took it upon himself to dash across the street on March 27, securing two 2-liter bottles for his delivery.
“It might seem like a trivial thing,” Wilson shared with the Idaho Statesman. “But for us, it was so much more. That level of consideration and personal touch is something you rarely encounter these days.”
Upon delivery, Wilson found himself without extra cash for a tip and suggested calling the store, but Simpson graciously declined.
“No need for that. It’s already a great tip,” Simpson reassured in a captured video.
Footage of their viral interaction on TikTok has racked up over 600,000 views and sparked a wave of support.
Wilson was so moved by the kindness that he launched a GoFundMe to help the driver, who is retiring on April 30 and has struggled financially, and has nearly reached its target of $45,000 in eight days.
Wilson also revealed why the moment hit home.
“What Dan didn’t know is that my wife and I are both visually impaired, so running out to the store for a ‘quick’ pickup is not something that is simple or easy for us,” he said.
“What may have seemed like a tiny inconvenience to solve on his end actually made a huge difference on ours.”
Simpson told the outlet that the response has been hard to process.
“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 longtime delivery driver, who works nights to supplement his job with the Idaho Department of Agriculture, said he’s always tried to help others.
Simpson revealed that he spent time in prison for a DUI in his past, got sober, returned to school more than 20 years ago, and has still struggled to save for retirement despite years of work.
“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.
Viewers rallied around the feel-good moment.
“The world needs more Dans,” Wilson wrote in his TikTok caption, a sentiment echoed across the social media platform.
“I love when humans human,” responded one user, while another said, “This is old school respect and going beyond duty.”
After donating to Simpson, one person wrote in a message on GoFundMe: “I love that people respect how hard it is to do this job and risky, especially for older people. Bless you for doing this and happy retirement Dan!”
Now, thanks to a quick stop for soda, Simpson is heading into retirement from his state job at the end of April with a financial boost and possibly bigger travel plans.
He plans to continue delivering pizza for Domino’s and hopes to use the GoFundMe money toward a trip to see the Redwood trees in California.
“They say I went the extra mile, but for goodness’ sake, it was no big deal,” he said. “Well, now I might go to Hawaii. Actually, I’d rather go to Melba.”
