Free Burgers for Life Offered to OH Hero Charles Ramsey
Charles Ramsey, the man hailed as a hero for helping three women escape from their abductor, was given a special honor in Ohio: free burgers for life. More than a dozen Ohio restaurants have pledged to honor Ramsey's special "Chuck Card" and provide him with a free burger.
Ramsey became an overnight sensation when he told his story of helping kidnapping victims escape from a decade of torture and abuse. He told the press that he was simply enjoying his McDonald's when he heard the cries for help and leapt into action.
"I heard screaming," he said. "I'm eating my McDonald's, I come outside, I see this girl going nuts trying to get out of her house, so I go on the porch and she says, 'Help me get out, I've been here a long time.'"
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McDonald's tweeted Ramsey and said that they would "be in touch," though it's uncertain whether they have been or not.
Several Ohio restaurants, however, decided to get together and honor Ramsey in their own way. They presented him with the "Chuck Card," which is good for life and guarantees him a free burger at participating restaurants.
"We want to honor our local hero with local food," Scott Kuhn of the Driftwood Restaurant Group told The Cleveland Plain Dealer. "He stopped his meal midway through to help those women. We're now making sure he has other opportunities to go out and fully enjoy his burger."
Even though the card is limited to a single burger, Kuhn said he was certain that "some places will give him more – maybe add fries and a soft drink."
Ramsey works at Hodges restaurant as a dishwasher, and chef-co-owner Chris Hodgson immediately came up with his own tribute to his employee: the Ramsey Burger.
"It's an 8-ounce burger of Certified Angus Beef, with a secret sauce," Hodgson said. The burger was initially offered for a limited time only but became so popular that it is now part of the permanent menu.
