Cleveland’s newest hero is getting his reward.
And it’s a fitting one for Charles Ramsey, the man who became an internet sensation for his colorful account of how he helped save Cleveland kidnapping victims Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight. He began every account telling reporters that he was eating a burger from McDonald’s when he heard yelling coming from across the street that turned out to be Amanda Berry.
Now, he’s got burgers for life.
More than a dozen Ohio restaurants have pledged to give Ramsey free burgers for life as a way of honoring their home-state hero, according to a report from the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
He’s also received a tribute burger in his name. Hodges restaurant, where Ramsey works as a dishwasher, has created the Ramsey Burger, their take on the the Big Mac that Ramsey was enjoying just before he paused his meal to help the women in distress.
“He’s calm in the face of crazy and hectic things going on,” restaurant owner Chris Hodgson told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “He always steps up to do anything you ask.”
“We want to honor our local hero with local food,” said Scott Kuhn, who runs four of the restaurants who’ve stepped up to give the special “Chuck Card” to Ramsey. “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.”
McDonald’s tweeted in the days after the story broke that they would be reaching out to Ramsey. So far, it doesn’t appear they’ve come through on that promise.
We salute the courage of Ohio kidnap victims & respect their privacy. Way to go Charles Ramsey- we’ll be in touch.
— McDonald’s Corp. (@McDonaldsCorp) May 7, 2013
Morgan Whitaker