An employee at a branch of McDonald's in Chicago has gone viral after he was spotted performing a random act of kindness for a customer. 

Known only as "Kenny", the employee did something that would normally have gotten him in a lot of trouble when he closed the register during the rush hour at dinner time, but instead he's ended up becoming an internet sensation.

An elderly man in a wheelchair approached the counter to make his order, and when the food was handed over to him, he asked something that the cashier found it difficult to understand. 

After repeating himself, the cashier understood that he had asked "please help me", and while he was initially unsure what help he needed, it became clear that he needed to have his food cut up. Kenny duly obliged, shutting down the register and causing a bit of a queue to back up in the process, but no one was complaining. 

A photo of the act was captured by Destiny Carreno, who shared it on Facebook last week, and it has been getting a huge response since, being shared over 290,000 times.

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Speaking to NBC, the owner of the franchise Rod Lubeznik said in a statement that they had been "overwhelmed by the positive response [Kenny] has received for his compassion and kindness. It's a true testament to who Kenny is, and a reminder to us all that one seemingly small act of kindness can touch the hearts of so many".

Via Fox