Cracker Barrel Diner Breaks Down as Patrons Sing Him Happy Bday

Richard is a regular at his local Cracker Barrel, so he’s well-known by the staff who welcomes him in. But he wasn’t expecting what happened when he went to eat on his birthday, or what has followed since.

In a video posted to TikTok that is equal parts heartwarming and tear-inducing, diners sing to Richard as he cries over a piece of cake on his 89th birthday.

“Entire Cracker Barrel singing to this sweet old man who turned 89,” the text overlaid on the clip reads.

The user who uploaded the original video, VA Sanchez, had good news for her followers a few days later.

Knowing Richard goes to this Cracker Barrel often, she went back to the restaurant the next day with a card and gifts, hoping to find him and share how much the moment had touched people online.

He was there at his usual table, eating with his daughter, who she found out is his caretaker.

The TikToker was able to tell him that his video had pulled more than 700K views (up to 7.8 million now). She also informed him that the touching viral moment had reminded people of their own grandfathers.

“I got to have him experience that happiness again today,” @authorvasanchez says. She has since started a GoFundMe in his name.

Per that page, Richard is an Army veteran who lost his wife to cancer in 2015. He also has Alzheimer’s, so his daughter wasn’t sure he’d remember what had transpired on his birthday. But he was receptive to hearing about it and seemed thrilled.

His smile is worth it all — watch for yourself:

Per the GoFundMe page,

100 percent of this money will go to improving his life. His family has expressed that they need some childproof doorknobs because Richard gets out into the neighbors yards which could be dangerous. The family also mentioned some handrails in the shower to help with bathing. A big thing is they need a car and currently Uber everywhere so maybe there’s an affordable car we can get for them.