Employees at a restaurant in Michigan, United States, were stunned to discover a tip of US$10,000 (C$13,500) on a bill; an astonishing reason was hidden behind this generous donation.
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“Typically, we see $100 tips from time to time,” Tim Sweeney, manager of Mason Jar Cafe in Benton Harbor, told The Hill newspaper.
“But never anything of this gratitude or this magnitude,” he assured.
Earlier this month, a particularly generous customer left a 30,835% tip on his $32.43 bill, reports the New York Post.
Mr Sweeney was struck with “absolute disbelief” when he saw the receipt. The restaurant did not disclose who served the customer. The manager rushed to speak with the customer and make sure there was no mistake.
“We went back and forth. I had a conversation with him,” said the manager.
It was during this discussion that Mr. Sweeney was able to learn the reason behind the customer’s generous gesture.
“It was in memory of a friend who recently passed away. He was in town for the funeral,” said waitress Paige Mulick.
“It was an act of kindness that touched many people,” she added.
The restaurant chose to divide the tip into nine equal parts among colleagues. Each of them received a little more than 1,100 dollars (1,480 $CAN)
Ms. Mulick, a recent college graduate, used her share to pay off student loans.
She reveled in the fact that “so many incredible women worked that day, so many hard-working mothers…who really deserve this.”