For a Connecticut waitress, work was usually pretty quiet, with nothing out of the ordinary ever taking place. One fateful day proved otherwise however when a rowdy party called her to the side of the loud bar. She could tell that this was not good news. At that moment, Ashley prepared herself because this likely meant that trouble was on the way.
Warning Signs
She blinked and then looked at this group of men and then the bill once more. She was having a hard time understanding what they were asking her to do. Yet again, they motioned to the back room. Her eyes went through the crowd in the bar, trying to ask for help without saying it out loud.
Warning Signs
Service Work
On that fateful day, Ashley Latella had been working the night shift at the Seagrape Café. Located in Fairfield, Connecticut, she saw a group of men enter the joint. The holiday season was proving to be a busy time, and she was finding it hard to keep up. The tables would get filled up quickly, and she would rush from one table to another to take orders.
Service Work
Table After Table
Another group of students went up to the bar, whooping and jeering before ordering their first rounds and then chugging them down. Ashley saw some movement from the corner of her eye. It was then that she noticed the three men who went down to sit in the corner. Her manager Carlos Carmo took note of them as well. Something about them did not sit right with him, so he kept an eye on this group.
Table After Table
Uncomfortable
Ashley went up to the table to get their orders and make them feel more at home. However, she could not help but feel surprised at the behavior that these men displayed. They ordered one round after the next, and she could feel them staring at her each time that she walked away from them. Whenever she returned to get their orders, they fell totally silent. However, it was only when she handed them their bill that she finally understood what their real motivations were. Do you have any clue what it might be?
Uncomfortable
Wildcard Table
She had been working in the F&B industry long enough to know that the quieter guests often gave the most trouble. It seemed like there was always that one table with a wildcard. If she did not feel comfortable, she would swap tables with a male staff member. However, it was not possible that night since they were all busy. The men would show her their true colors, but only at the last minute.
Wildcard Table
Out Of Place
The more she thought about it, the more things did not make sense. The Seagrape Café was largely visited by students. What could these older men be doing here? They were easily the oldest folks in this room. Call it woman’s intuition or whatever you want, but she could tell that these guys were trouble.
Out Of Place
Not Ready
Ashley works as a server, so she has come to expect both good and bad customers. Some people were just straight-up rude. Despite this, she has decided to always give it her all and provide guests with good service. However, there was nothing that could have prepared her for their refusal to pay the bill!
Not Ready
The Beginning
Ashley could not help but let out a sigh of relief after bringing the men the check. It was nearing the end of her shift, so she could not wait to head home and recoup before returning to work the following day. However, she still had yet to make it out of the woods. When she came back to get the payment, she was shocked to hear what they wanted her to do. What was going on here?
The Beginning
Taunting Her
One of these men was pinning the folder with the bill inside right below his elbows. When Ashley made a move to retrieve it, he did not let it go. No, he deliberately seized her up from head to toe at that point. She felt his eyes on her until they finally went up to her face. He then scooped it up and then held it away from her. Was this man taunting her or something?
Taunting Her
Confused
He did not even break contact with her eyes as he pushed the chair back. His two companions followed suit as well. Was it a signal from the ringleader or what? All three of them rose to stand, and the man with the ransom then swung his neck over his shoulder and then looked at the door right behind him. She felt confused in the beginning until she understood she wanted her to follow him.
Confused
Terrified
She could not understand what was going on, so she then raised her hands to show her confusion. However, this guy was adamant. He then leaned in, but she struggled to hear what he said thanks to the loudness of the music. He repeated the request. When Ashley realized that he was asking to settle the bill in private, she was so unsettled that she could not move away from the spot. She was terrified.
Terrified
Her Suspicions
Her thoughts started to race as she looked around for her manager. There was no reason for these men to settle their bill in a more private place, was there? If they had an issue with her, they could just tell her about it there and then. However, she wondered if there was a more reasonable explanation.
Her Suspicions
Her Mixed Feelings
The truth was that she was used to clients coming onto her. She knew that she was an attractive, fit, and young woman. It was not lost on her that the man who would not hand over the bill was a good-looking fellow himself. It was odd, but she started to feel some excitement behind the fear she was feeling. However, she should not entertain a thought like that. The only thing she knew that she was not going to go to the back room with these men like they wanted.
Her Mixed Feelings
Asking For Help
It was a good thing that Carlos finally noticed that Ashley needed help. He saw the fear in her eyes and stopped in his tracks. She was glad that he was finally there to help her out. He had a feeling that something was going to happen that night, but he balked when she told him what happened. Carlos told her to take it easy because he would deal with it.
Asking For Help
Taking Over
His first thought was that they were dissatisfied with the service that they received. He just hoped that it was not going to get out of hand. You could see the tension rise off him as he headed for the back with Ashley on his tail. The two of them were finally in the spot where the guys wanted them to be.
Taking Over
Privacy
The private room was much quieter, and it was there that they confirmed her suspicions. They let her know that they had been keeping their eye on her the entire night. They saw the bartenders getting ran off their feet and could not help but feel impressed. After hearing this, Carlos relaxed and let out a sigh of relief. The men then gave him the bill. The manager nearly passed out after seeing the gratuity line!
Privacy
At First
What did he see written down there? Well, he saw a five followed by two zeroes. Carlos had a hard time believing they left a tip of $500 for their bill of $112! He was in disbelief. Did they really want to tip her that much? He expressed his gratitude, and the men told him to look at it once again.
At First
One More Zero
Upon closer inspection, his confusion only led to even more disbelief. “I saw another zero,” he said in an interview. His face went as white as a sheet. Meanwhile, Ashley burst into tears, only regaining her composure a couple of minutes later. She then gave them a huge hug. They did not only leave her a tip worth $500, but one worth $5,000! What were they thinking when they did such a thing?
One More Zero
They Gave Back
As it turns out, those mystery men from before, that tipped Ashley, had actually been traveling all over the country, leaving huge tips for hardworking restaurant staff members. According to them, they already tipped $11,500 in Manhattan. News of this group soon spread all over social media. People across the country decided to come forward to swap similar stories. One bartender narrated about the time they got $1,000 in tip for a bill worth $85. Now, what did Ashley plan to do with the tip that she was given?
They Gave Back
Pay It Forward
She knew that it was only right for her to pay it forward, which is why she bought a lot of days at the local toy store and gave them all to the toy drive known as Al’s Angels. She felt grateful but did not want to keep all of the money to herself. This was not the first time she helped people in need either!
Pay It Forward
Kindness
As a matter of fact, she had been planning to get toys for the toy drive for a while already. “I’ve been trying to gather toys at my office. Toys, blankets,” she said. The tip she got courtesy of “Tips for Jesus” came at the right time. There was no way that the men knew she was a generous woman herself. This might just be karma at work. We think that it is true what they say: kindness begets kindness.
Kindness
Regular
It turns out that this wasn’t the only time this sort of thing happened. Christofer Nardelli who owns this four-year-old restaurant explained that the said customer lives in this area and goes to the bar several times each month.
Regular
Food Pairings
Every now and then, he and chef James Turner would send out e-mails about food pairings and beer selections to let their patrons know what was going on at the restaurant. But no one expected what happened next.
Food Pairings
Paid The Bill
They finished the food and drinks they ordered. As usual, they asked for the bill, paid it off, and left. However, no one noticed something out of the ordinary until later. When the guests had already left, bartender Laura Dally noticed this bill on the table. He was the regular who likes the gumbo and tips well in general. However, he shocked them all by what he did.
Paid The Bill
First Time
The three members of the staff were stunned that anyone would leave such a huge tip for a $93 bill. She picked it up while everyone else was closing and cleaning up the store. When she took a look inside, she knew she had to get Chris right away.
First Time
Disbelief
The owner, chef, and bartender at this Connecticut Avenue restaurant claimed that they were all shocked by the huge tip that the patron left. He gave $2,000 in tip for his bill worth $93! “I was in an utter daze,” she explained. “I was completely speechless. I had to do a double take.” Laura then approached her boss and told him, “We need to talk.”
Disbelief
Shocked
They went up to his office. She showed him the receipt once they got there. “I didn’t know what to say,” Chris recounted. “This is the kind of stuff you see in the restaurant business that happens to some guy in the Midwest or the West Coast,” he explained, “You think, who are these people who give these extraordinarily generous tips that just made a server or bartender’s day? And then, sure enough, it happened to us.”
Shocked
Dividing It
Together with the credit card slip that showed the tip of $2,000 was a note that explained how to divide it among them. James should get $1,000, while Laura and Chris should get $500 each. But what was this patron thinking when he decided to leave the staff such a huge tip anyway?
Dividing It
Thank You
The following day, Chris made sure to send this man a “thank you” e-mail. He got an explanation for it this way as well. “He said he’s very happy with what we’ve built and that he’s proud to be a customer,” Chris narrated. The client also let him know, “I’m very happy to express my gratitude in that way.”
Thank You
Their Plans
All three of them are using the sudden windfall very wisely. Chris said that he wanted to use it to offset the monthly day-care bill for his toddler. He believes that James will also spend the money on his family. Meanwhile, 29-year-old Laura of Silver Spring said that she planned to spend the money to pay for a summer class at Montgomery College. She is training to become an occupational therapist!
Their Plans
First Time Ever
“It’s flattering,” Chris said. “It’s nice to see somebody appreciate what we do and they’re willing to leave something like that for us. It’s hard to believe anyone deserves a tip like that.” What did Laura have to say about it? She had been working in the industry as a bartender, hostess, and server for 10 years old, so has she experienced this before? “Never! Never have I gotten a tip this big. Never.” Lastly, let us take a look at what the note on the bill said: “Thank you for the Gumbo!”
First Time Ever
Online Challenges
We are sure that you have seen a bunch of silly things that went viral online. There are even trends that are not good for the health like that cursed ‘tide pod challenge.’ People like to keep up with these challenges because they get a lot of attention for it. At any rate, we are glad that this latest trend is a feel good one!
Online Challenges
Just A Job
A lot of servers hold on to their job as a way to pay for the bills. It is not at all a way to get rich quickly unless they get lucky. The latest social media challenge is dubbed the ‘tip the bill challenge’ or ‘tip the bill.’ This is a way for people to join in on the fun, spread the love, and feel good all at the same time.
Just A Job
How To Tip
If you want to do the challenge, it is not very complicated. The only thing you need to do is to order whatever you like and then leave a tip that matches the bill! However, some have decided to take it a step further. It could not have come at a better time. Studies revealed that a tipping slump is happening, even going as far as to claim that nearly half of all diners do not know how much they should give.
How To Tip
The Standard
Let us clear things up in case you did not know either. The recommended amount you should give would be around 15 to 20% of the bill. However, the people who took part in the challenge have upped the ante completely. Take a look at this regular at an upper Northwest Washington joint called Blue 4.
The Standard