Staff members at a restaurant in New Hampshire recently got a huge surprise from a customer who wants to remain anonymous.
The patron stopped at the Stumble Inn Bar and Grill located in Londonderry and ordered chili dogs, fried pickle chips, and drinks, WMUR 9 reported Monday.
The tab including tax was $37.93, but that was before the person added a $16,000 tip, which the employees did not see at first.
“It was on the credit card statement, they put it down next to the register and he said three times, ‘Don’t spend it all in one place.’ That’s what made her flip it over and look, and she’s like, ‘Oh my god, are you serious?’ And he said, ‘I want you to have it, you guys work hard,” restaurant owner Mike Zarella explained.
Eight of the establishment’s bartenders contacted the owner about the massive tip.
“I thought it was a mistake, it could have been maybe a $160 tip and he added extra zeros,” Zarella continued, adding, “The bar manager talked to the gentleman and he said, ‘No, it’s $16,000.'”
Zarella shared a photo of the receipt on his Facebook page and thanked the customer for their generosity:
The tipper asked to remain anonymous and WMUR reported he is not a regular customer.
“He just said that they deserve it, they work very hard,” Zarella noted.
The restaurant closed for a few months amid the coronavirus pandemic and did take-out and outdoor dining, but it was still a challenge for employees who are now paying it forward to their fellow workers.
“The back of the house works really hard, the kitchen, they’re giving them a big tip out of that, which is very generous of them to do,” Zarella explained.
He also said the gift “just says there’s good, kindhearted people out there that realize that people might have to struggle.”