Customer instantly suspicious of 'free sandwich' until he looks at the receipt

They say there's no such thing as a free lunch, but one man in the US would beg to differ after he was unexpectedly gifted a falafel pita on the house.

The chap, from the States, popped into a shop with an appetite for a falafel pita, only to be left scratching his head when the server waved off any payment. It all became clear when he glanced at the receipt.

Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter), the man shared his bewildering experience and also uploaded a snap of the receipt. He captioned it for his followers: "Was the guy who made my sandwich in love with me? ? I tried to pay and he said 'you're all set' and this was the receipt."

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The receipt revealed that the original price of the sandwich was $11.05 (£8.70), but this amount had been crossed out and replaced with $0, courtesy of 'Love'.

Since being posted, the story has taken the internet by storm, amassing over three million views, reports the Mirror.

Some netizens speculated that the server might have had a soft spot for him, with comments like: "Signs point to yes."

Others chimed in with "I think you're the one," and some even found the gesture "so romantic".

Yet, the man himself expressed his astonishment, replying: "I am very surprised lol."

Curiosity arose among the commenters, with one asking why he didn't strike up a conversation with the server, saying: "Yep, and instead of talking to him you're posting it for likes from strangers."

But any notions of a budding romance were swiftly quashed by the man's response: "I'm straight."

An individual proffered another theory that he might have appeared in need of the food. Jokingly stating: "This happens to me sometimes and I think 'still got it', but then I realise I just look homeless."

The man humorously responded with "So ur saying it was a pity pita."

Other users expressed shock about the price, prompting one X user to query: "Is 11$ a normal price for falafel pita in America? ? ? " To which the man confirmed: "Ya I guess depends where u go."

Indeed, it's a pity this serendipitous gesture didn't lead to a burgeoning love story.