Netizens sent messages of appreciation to a restaurant owner for the gift she gave to a man and his daughter.

Hearts and thumbs-up symbols flooded the Facebook page of Halo Shabu restaurant after the owner Panumas Sroitong gave the girl a birthday gift she will never forget.

The father took his daughter to the  restaurant in Wang Chan district of Rayong around 1pm on Saturday because she wanted to have shabu-shabu, the Japanese hotpot dish, for her birthday.

A waitress serving their table heard the father telling his daughter to eat alone because he did not enough money to cover both of them. He told the girl he would be waiting for her outside while she enjoyed the Japanese food.

But the daughter refused to have the meal unless they ate together.

The waitress told Ms Panumas what she had overheard, and as the two stood up to walk out of the restaurant, she stopped them and asked them to enjoy the meal for free.

When the owner found out that the meal was a birthday celebration for the daughter, she asked her staff to buy the girl a birthday cake from a store nearby.

"I saw how much he loved his daughter, " Ms Panumas told several media outlets.

A video clip of the event showed Ms Panumas and her staff in tears while they watched the man and his daughter on her special day.

After the meal, the man and his daughter thanked all the staff. Once outside the restaurant, another clip showed the father embracing his daughter in his arms before the two walked away.