An extra-generous customer left employees at a Colorado restaurant a $1,400 tip and a message that said “COVID Sucks!”
With America facing an incredibly tough economic crisis due to COVID-19, casual workers have been put through the wringer trying to make ends meet.
In a wholesome turn of events, a patron, only identifiable as David, came into Notchtop Bakery & Cafe for some eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy – a bill that cost him a total of $20.04. When it came time to pay, David went on to ask his server, Gloria Fuentes, how many people were on shift. After he was informed that seven staff members were rostered on, Fuentes went to collect the bill, only to find that the patron had left the staff a whopping $1,400 tip.
“That brought truly tears to all the servers [and] cooks — you know, nobody ever thinks of cooks — the cooks were just so surprised and shocked. We were all shocked,” owner Nailya Khametvalieva said. “We did thank him, but I felt like we didn’t do it enough.”
‘COVID sucks’: A patron leaves $200 tip per employee at Notchtop Bakery & Café
Seven employees are $200 richer after a customer left a $1,400 tip on a $20 bill, equating to $200 per employee. pic.twitter.com/vIGIkdYviq
— 303 Pulse (@303Pulse) January 23, 2021
The bill came with clear instructions that the money was to be split evenly between the seven employees, a gesture made even more significant by the economic hardship faced by casual hospitality workers during COVID-19. “In the morning, we were talking, like we need to make this money because we have to pay rent,” server Jayme Johnson said. “It’s $200 to me, but it’s also $200 for my husband. It’s also $200 for my daughters, for things that we needed to make it.”
“I think it’s motivation to keep doing our best, to keep positive during the hard times,” Fuentes added. “Not everything is darkness. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.”
