The Tip Challenge💸

Having unique and even unusual experiences with patrons is very common for waiters and bartenders. This waitress got the shock of her life after serving a group of men one night at a local restaurant where she worked.

Alarm Bells

👉Alarm bells were going off in her head because she couldn’t understand what this group of men wanted from her. As they motioned for her to follow them to the back room, she knew she needed to get help and quickly.

More And More Patrons

👉Students continued streaming in and taking their seats. Ashley noticed three men in the crowd and thought they looked like they didn’t belong there. The manager, Carlos Carmo, noticed them too. He meant to keep an eye on them but lost track.

Doing Her Job

👉Ashley rushed to their table to serve them. She couldn’t help but feel uneasy by their behavior. They ordered many rounds and every time she turned away she felt them staring at her and when she’d return they’d go suddenly quiet.

Difficult Patrons

👉Ashley had been waitressing for a long time and knew from experience that quiet patrons had a tendency to be difficult. If she ever felt uncomfortable she’d swap tables with another male staff member. Tonight was too busy for that.

Hidden Agendas

👉Seagrape Cafe was a popular student bar. So why were these older men there? They were easily the oldest people there and looked like they didn’t belong there. Ashley’s gut told her that they had a hidden agenda, but what was it?

Not Prepared For This

👉Ashley had encountered many different types of patrons, some good and some bad. Some were even rude and unfriendly. But she’d never encountered a customer that refused to settle their check. She wasn’t prepared for what was about to happen.

This Was Just The Beginning

👉It was time for her to bring them the check and Ashley was relieved that the night was almost over. Soon she could go home and relax. When she asked to collect their payment they asked for something from her instead.

What Did They Want?

👉Maybe they wanted more drinks? One of the men had put the folder with the check inside under his arm. When she tried to take it, he wouldn’t let her. He then held it just out of her reach as if teasing her.

No Patience For Games

👉She was too tired for games. Staring into her eyes, he pushed his chair back and stood up. His friends followed suit. Without a word, he signaled towards the backroom door. He motioned for her to follow, but she was hesitant.

Fear And Confusion

👉Ashley was so confused, she didn’t know exactly what they wanted from her and fear set in. The man insisted and moved in closer to whisper something in her ear. But she couldn’t hear him over the background noise and loud music.

Her Thoughts Were Racing

👉She understood that they wanted to pay the check in private. At this point, Ashley was terrified and her thoughts were racing. She started scanning the room looking for the manager. Did they want to complain about her service?

Unsure Of What To Think

👉Ashley was an attractive young girl and was used to patrons making advances, but she wasn’t sure if this was the case. She didn’t know what to think. She just knew that she didn’t want to go into the back room with these strangers.

She Needed Help

👉She caught Carlos as he rushed past her. When he saw the fear in her eyes he knew she needed help. Ashley was so relieved he was there and she briefly explained the situation. He said he’d take over from here.

The Customer Is Always Right

👉Carlos went with Ashley to the backroom to see what these men wanted. At first, he thought they were dissatisfied with their service and wanted to complain. Little did he know these men had Carlos and Ashley exactly where they wanted them.

Behind Closed Doors

👉Ashley’s suspicions were confirmed once secluded in the backroom. These men had admitted to observing her all night. They said they noticed the other bartenders were run off their feet as well and they were impressed. Carlos let out a sigh of relief.

Couldn’t Believe His Eyes

👉When the man handed Carlos the bill he saw the gratuity amount that was written down and he couldn’t believe his eyes. He saw a five and two zeros – the bill was only $112 and this was a $500 tip! This was unheard of!

The Amount Was Wrong

👉When Carlos thanked them for the $500 tip they told him to look again. That’s when he saw the extra zero! The tip was, in fact, $5,000! At this point, Ashley burst into tears and Carlos’ face went white.

Mystery Men

👉After Carlos and Ashley composed themselves they were able to ask the all-important question. Who were these mystery men? What was it about the Seagrape Cafe that made them want to share their wealth and tip the staff such an exorbitant amount?

The Lord’s Work

👉The man went explained how they’re part of a group that’s called “Tips for Jesus.” Their mission was ‘To do the Lord’s work one tip at a time.’ They had the financial means and wanted to spread God’s love using their resources.

A Countrywide Mission

👉These men had been traveling across the country visiting restaurants and leaving huge tips to hardworking servers. To date, the tips have amounted to $11,500 in Manhattan alone. Soon enough their story gained momentum through all social media platforms.

More Stories Surfaced

👉Once word got out about these guys, more people from all over America started coming forward and sharing their experiences on social media. But what were people doing with the money? Ashley knew exactly what she wanted to do with her share.

A Generous Heart

👉Ashley has a generous heart and when she received that huge tip she knew she wanted to do something that was selfless. What she did next was an amazing act of kindness that would bring a smile to many little faces.

Time To Shop

👉Ashley felt a sense of responsibility after being blessed with all this money. She felt she needed to pay it forward. She went to the local toy store and bought as many toys as she could and donated them to a charity.

The Joy Of Giving

👉She was so overwhelmed by what these men did that she didn’t keep any money for herself. Instead, she chose to use all the money to buy toys for “Al’s Angels.” But this wasn’t the first time she’d given to the needy.

Sharing The Love

👉Ashley had in fact been trying to collect toys and blankets, and non-perishable foods for quite some time to donate to this charity. She had even approached some of her co-workers to see if they could donate anything, no matter how small.

A Gift At The Right Time

👉This gift she received from “Tips for Jesus” had come at the perfect time. These men had no way of knowing what a generous heart Ashley had and somehow they chose her. This goes to show how kindness results in kindness.

What’s Trending?

👉Social media is a funny thing. Sometimes it serves to spread pretty silly news and hence trends are created as a result. At least this feel-good story is trending for a good reason and that’s to spread joy during the festive season.

Getting By

👉A waiters’ salary is not usually extravagant, which means that it’s difficult for them to make ends meet. Unfortunately, no one ever got rich becoming a waiter. They rely a lot on the tips they receive to get through the month.

New Challenge

👉In addition to the ‘Tips for Jesus’ movement, there’s a new #challenge and it’s called ‘tip the bill challenge.’ Anyone that wants to can take part in the fun while spreading love. You don’t need to be ultra-wealthy to participate.

Matching Cent For Cent

👉The challenge is about ordering something off the menu and no matter what the check is, matching the total sum as gratuity. Some people have even taken it a step further and are leaving a lot more, but that’s to their discretion.

What Is The Right Amount?

👉This challenge couldn’t have come at a better time. People have expressed that they don’t know how much they should be tipping nowadays. For that reason, tips have been minimal lately. So what is the right amount exactly?

A Fair Figure

👉For those who don’t know, the recommended amount is between 15% and 20% of the total check. That’s what you should be budgeting for when you go out for a meal. Servers work really hard and deserve a fair amount for their service.

Happy To Participate

👉However, the people that are able and willing to participate in the challenge are happy to match the total. Each restaurant has its regular customers, and they’re usually the ones that are happy to participate, like this regular restaurant-goer from Northwest Washington.

Loyal Regulars

👉Christopher Nardelli is the owner of the Blue 44 restaurant in upper Northwest Washington. The restaurant has been open for four years. He has a loyal patron that obviously lives in the area and frequents his restaurant several times a month.

What’s On The Menu?

👉His regular customer always comes back for the gumbo. Blue 44’s gumbo is apparently famous in that neighborhood. What makes it stand out from the rest is the chicken and andouille sausage and its dark roux base. It’s definitely a favorite.

Part Of The Family

👉The patron even communicates often via email with the chef, James Turner, regarding food pairings. They discuss what drinks pair better with what dish and even talk about new items on the menu. The staff at Blue 44 see him as family.

Open Communication

👉Recently James sent the regular patron an email to ask him when he was planning on coming to the restaurant so he could make sure to have his favorite gumbo ready for him. This was an indication that he was more than just a regular.

Another Gumbo Night

👉That night he had come with some friends and they ordered the usual gumbo. They had finished eating, got the check, paid, and left. No one had noticed that the check was still on the table well after they’d left the restaurant.

A Big Surprise

👉Later on that evening, the bartender, Laura Dally, noticed that the check was still on the table. She expected a good tip because he was a regular and was known for being a good tipper. But she was not expecting what she saw.

More Than Expected

👉Laura and the other bartenders on shift were shocked that anyone would leave such a huge tip on a check that was only $93. They’d heard about the tip challenge but none of them had been fortunate enough to experience it before.

Closing Time

👉It was closing time and the three servers were busy cleaning up. That’s when Laura noticed the check on the table. Thank goodness she did, otherwise, it may have gotten lost. She immediately went to get Chris when she saw what was inside.

Utter Shock

👉The bartender, chef, and owner of the local bar on Connecticut Avenue were in utter shock when they realized that their regular patron had left a $2,000 on a $93 bill. They looked at each other thinking it might be a prank.

Speechless Like Never Before

👉Laura was a very bubbly, chatty, and outgoing person that always had something to say. Except for tonight, she was completely speechless after seeing that gigantic tip. She kept double-checking and recounting to make sure she wasn’t imagining it.

Prank Or Blessing?

👉Laura wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. Maybe she was being pranked by her co-workers. Or maybe this really was a blessing from someone that did a random act of kindness. Laura and Chris went into his office.

How Did This Happen?

👉They couldn’t believe that this had happened to them. They had heard about the Tips for Jesus group and about the tip challenge but they thought it only happened to servers in restaurants in the Midwest or the West Coast.

A Usual Tip

👉As most people are aware, the usual amount to tip is 15% of the check. This was far more than that. What were they meant to do with the money? All three were on shift that night and they all worked hard.

Instructions For Them

👉When they opened the check envelope they saw along with the credit card slip showing a $2,000 tip, alongside a note. The note had instructions on how they had to divide the money among the three of them.

Sharing The Tip

👉The patron had really thought about this and planned this ahead of time. He has explained that James the chef was to take $1,000 and then $500 was for Laura and the other $500 for the owner, Chris.

Why So Generous?

👉They were all extremely grateful to this patron for being so generous and tipping them such a huge tip. But they were all wondering why them? What was it about them that urged this patron to be so generous with them?

The Reason

👉There had to be a reason why the man had done it. Maybe he was very wealthy and didn’t know what to do with his money and thought to give some away? Maybe he just appreciated their service and hard work?

Another E-mail

👉The following day, Chris decided to email the patron to express his gratitude. He thanked him for being so generous and explained how they had divided the money the way he had instructed. And that’s when he got an explanation.

A Response

👉The patron replied to the email straight away. He explained how the staff had always made him feel so welcome and that he was proud to be a customer of Blue 44. And this was his way of expressing his gratitude.

Spending Wisely

👉All three of them have decided to spend their portion of the tip wisely and not go on a shopping bender. When someone shows you kindness through financial means, it encourages you to pay it forward and show kindness back.

Family Comes First

👉Chris plans to use a portion of the money towards his children. The monthly day-care bills can be a heavy burden and this money will help alleviate that burden. James is also using it for his family and they’re both donating to a charity.

Furthering Her Studies

👉Laura doesn’t have a family to take care of yet so she said she will be using her share of the tip to further her studies. She wishes to do a summer class at Montgomery College so she can do something more with her life.

A Brighter Future

👉Laura has always wanted to study to become an occupational therapist. She had started waitressing to try to make some money so she could save up to pay for her studies on her own without relying on student loans.

Appreciation Shown

👉Laura was so happy to receive that tip because she felt very flattered by it. A bartender’s job can be very unsatisfying at times. So it was really nice that someone went out of their way to show their appreciation the way they did.

Undeserving

👉Although Laura says she has always given her best at work, she somehow feels undeserving of such a big tip. She considers herself a good bartender that’s helpful and kind but she never thought she’d ever get a tip like that.

First Time

👉Chris and Laura have said that in 10 years of working in the restaurant industry neither of them has ever received a tip so big. The best was the note on the back of the check which read, “Thank you for the Gumbo.”