Restaurant Owner Who Sold Mustang To Pay Employees Has A New Ride

May. 17, 2020 3:26 PM ET by Jay Traugott Muscle Cars / 17 Comments

But is it a Mustang?

Last month we finally had some heartwarming news to report during these troubling times. A restaurant owner in Smyrna, Georgia sold her beloved Ford Mustang GT in order to pay her eight restaurant employees and make rent. Charity Salyers knew this was not a long term solution, but it would be enough to get her through the next couple of months. By that time, she was hoping life would be back to a semi-normal state that will enable her to reopen her restaurant, called Vittles, full-time instead of only doing mainly take-out orders.

However, selling the Mustang also left her without a car. A couple of employees take turns giving her rides to and from work. When Salyers' story got out, a local area dealership was touched by what she had done and wanted to help. Thing was, it wasn't a Ford dealership.

According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Savannah Volkswagen gave Salyers a 2017 Toyota RAV4 with about 30,000 miles. She says the dealership originally reached out to her about a week after it learned of her plight. "They wanted to do what they could to get me another vehicle," she said. "I was just shocked… and just grateful." The dealership is paying the first six months of her lease, a period of time that will hopefully be enough for her restaurant to get back on track.

"We're always looking for stories like this and looking to give back," said Jennita Orr, the dealership's finance manager. "We thought it was a great opportunity because you don't have many people who would sacrifice themselves for others and in this time, we all need each other."

While a RAV4 is certainly no Mustang or any other muscle car, it's still a very reliable vehicle that will get the job done no matter what. Plus, it's also more fuel-efficient than Salyers' old V8-powered muscle car. While gas prices have fallen dramatically in recent weeks, saving money wherever and however possible remains is still important for Salyers and millions of other vehicle owners.

Fortunately, since Salyers' generosity became more widely known, her restaurant's business has increased. She says some customers have traveled up to 40 miles to eat at Vittles. The restaurant's dining room has also reopened, though only to strict social distancing regulations.

Salyers also started a GoFundMe account to provide free or reduced-priced meals to seniors on a fixed income. It has raised over $7,000 so far.