Kind Diner Leaves 10K Tip for Entire Restaurant Staff on $193 Meal
Leaving tips at a restaurant is a very clear form of communication. Without a single word, a customer can say anything from “top-notch service” to “I hated everything.”
But then there are those rare individuals who want to bless the people they come into contact with in a very tangible way.
Pam is one of those people, and waitress Khara Wilson of Marathon, Florida, was one of the recipients of her generosity.
Wilson works at three restaurants, which keeps her on her toes.
“I only have one day off a week,” she told Keys Weekly. “I am a busy girl.”
One of those jobs is at a steakhouse, one is at a breakfast place and the third, which she landed just before COVID started shutting things down, is at Castaway Waterfront Restaurant and Sushi Bar.
It was on March 16 at the latter eatery that Wilson met Pam. She was seated with others at a large table and Wilson made sure to take a few minutes just to talk.
“It was a party of 10 and they were waiting on a few more guests to arrive,” Wilson said. “It was a busy morning, but I had a little time so I chit chatted a little bit — where they were from, when they were leaving.
“I got the impression that she was visiting with her kids and grandkids.”
As they talked, Pam also mentioned that she was from Oklahoma and would be flying out on a private plane.
“And then I went about my business,” Wilson continued.
The group was served their breakfasts and the bill was being wrapped up when Pam asked Wilson a rather odd question: How many people were in the kitchen?
Finding the question a bit unusual, Wilson tried to get more information out of the woman — but she wouldn’t say why.
“She could see how many people were working on the floor,” Wilson explained. “I asked her why she wanted to know and she told me it would be a surprise, but that I needed to share with all the staff.”
That surprise was an incredible tip of $10,000 on the $193.95 bill. Wilson was shocked when she saw the amount.
“I said, ‘Are you kidding me?'” she recalled.
But no — it was all very real, and 14 employees were greatly blessed that day thanks to a customer known only as “Pam.” She’s not the only one who appreciates the service Wilson and the others deliver, though.
“Well deserved Khara and Team Castaway,” the restaurant posted on its Facebook page, along with a photo of the receipt.
Many commenters chimed in to congratulate Wilson and the others as well as add their own stories of excellent service and confirm that the tip was well-deserved. Wilson plans to use her chunk of the change to pay off some bills and put some toward a trip to Costa Rica.
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