Waitress Receives $3,000 Tip on $44 Bill for 'Hard Work' with Note To Pay It Forward
Washington resident Michelle Bozeman, 50, has worked hard to provide for her three children as a single mother. Now a grandmother of seven, she continues to work
Bozeman has worked as a waitress for the past 20 years, but a recent shift at work was anything but an ordinary day on the job.
While serving an out-of-town couple their meal on a Sunday night, Bozeman chatted with the pair about herself and her family, as well as how much she loves her job and coworkers.
Soon, the paid their $44 bill and left, and Bozeman began clearing the table. But she didn’t realize what they’d done until a coworker asked her if she’d seen the tip the couple left.
Bozeman stared at the multiple zeros attached to the tip: The couple had left her a $3,000 tip.
“One of the girls (asked) ‘Did you know you got a $3,000 tip?'” Bozeman said. “And I go, ‘I didn’t get a $3,000 tip.'”
“And I looked at it, and I thought, ‘That can’t be right.'”
But it turned out to be completely right. In addition to the generous tip, the couple also left the waitress a heartfelt note on the back of the receipt which explained why they’d been so generous.
“Thanks for smiling,” the note began. “You work hard and the country is in a bad place.”
The note also included the simple request that Bozeman pay it forward in the future.
“They were just a really nice couple,” she said, noting that she has already made plans to spread the generosity.
Bozeman plans to share some of the money with her coworkers and treat each of her grandchildren, who range in age from 3 to 17, to something special. She also plans to finally take a trip to Ireland with a friend.
While Bozeman has no idea who the anonymous couple is, she hopes they know how thankful she is for their kindness.
“What a world of difference it’ll make in my life, and I will definitely pay it forward,” she said.
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