This New York City deli gives customers free food when they solve math problems

Candy bars.
(Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Ahmed Alwan of the Lucky Candy deli in New York City is making math sweeter.

Alwan is a cashier at the Bronx deli, which is owned by his father, Saleh Aobad. Two weeks ago, Alwan, 20, began quizzing customers, telling them that if they solved a simple math problem, he would give them five seconds to grab anything they wanted from the store, free of charge. "All I wanted to do was help people, but I wanted to make it fun," he told CNN. Alwan shares videos of his customers on TikTok and Instagram, and says it's "a way to entertain and educate people in need while putting a smile on their face, too."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.