Diners at Finnegan’s in Kalispell got an unexpected surprise late Saturday night when they discovered an unknown restaurant patron had picked up the tab for everyone.

Finnegan’s owner Carol Jellison said the man, who wanted to remain anonymous, came into the restaurant with another fellow just before midnight and ordered a meal.

Then he quietly told the waitress he wanted to pay for everyone’s meals. There were about seven or eight occupied tables at the time.

The tab was $176.

No one remembered ever seeing the man before.

“He seemed to enjoy people’s reactions as they discovered their bill had been taken care of,” Jellison said. “Maybe it was a random act of kindness, or he wanted to pay it forward.”

Before the night was over, the man’s generosity had rubbed off on others.

After learning someone had paid her bill, one woman insisted she, in turn, needed to pay for someone else’s food. Since the anonymous man and his friend were the only ones who had not yet paid, she paid for their meal.

The mystery man then doled out generous tips to the wait staff, handing a $20 bill to the restaurant hostess and leaving $23 for the waitress and another $20 for the cooks.

One of the cooks also was inspired to pay it forward. He split his tip to give a portion to the janitor and the dishwasher.

“It was pretty neat,” Jellison said. “Maybe the giving season has started early.”

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.