'Above and beyond': Family of boy who loves Naperville eatery's gong stunned by free Disney trip
Nothing stands between 9-year-old Maddox Yates-Benter and the gong at BD's Mongolian Grill in Naperville.
Every time he and his family make the hourlong trek from their Sandwich home, Maddox, who has autism, beelines from the car to the gong to hit it with the mallet as many times as he can.
Recently, however, something actually did stand in the way — a burst water pipe that forced BD's to close for a couple of days.
Maddox and his dads, Joey Benter and Patrick Dalton, didn't know the situation until they arrived that night and were faced with a very sad little boy upon seeing the “Closed” sign.
“There are certain things in life that he just loves, and there's not many. But one of the things is hitting the gong at Mongolian barbecue,” Dalton said. “If it was up to him, he'd be going there every single day. That whole car ride he was so excited to hit that gong.”
Dalton called the restaurant. Luckily, General Manager Kirsten Simmons was still inside while repairs were being completed.
Simmons not only allowed Maddox inside to hit the gong for almost a half-hour, but she also gave the family “Mongo Money” coupons so they could eat for free that night at a sister restaurant in Bolingbrook.
“I recognized them because they're regulars, and I could just see his little shoulders slump when he saw we were closed,” Simmons said. “It was the least I could do to just let him in and hit the gong.”
Blown away by Simmons' effort, Dalton didn't even wait to get home before writing a heartfelt email to the corporate address. Restaurant CEO Gregg Majewski, touched by the email, took things one step further.
Majewski not only gave a free trip to Disney World in Florida to Maddox and his family, but he gave the same trip and $1,000 in spending money to Simmons and her two young children as a thank you.
Majewski surprised Maddox and Simmons with the news Friday at the restaurant.
“(The email) said it's one of the two places Maddox talks about going, BD's and Disney World,” Majewski said. “After reading that and getting choked up — that letter meant the world to me — I said we're sending them to Disney World and we're also going to get Kirsten a trip. She went above and beyond.”
Maddox still remembers a family trip to Florida when he was only 4 years old. He loves Mickey Mouse and many other Disney characters, just like Simmons' two children — 4-year-old Aria and 3-year-old Luca.
“I could never afford a trip to Disney World,” Simmons said. “I work all the time, and I don't see my kids as much as I'd like. I'm just so grateful to Gregg. This is the perfect gift. We're all about Disney.”
Dalton said Maddox, who turned 9 on Thursday, won't fully feel the excitement of the trip until they're on the plane or in the hotel.
Until then, Benter and Dalton will keep reminding Maddox about Florida, the magical turn of events at BD's and the people who made it happen.
“It was an incredible moment when they told us,” Dalton said. “I was crying, my husband was crying, Grandma was crying, Kirsten was crying.
“And Maddox was hitting the gong.”