Restaurant Employees Are Sure $3000 Tip is a Mistake, Until They Read the Note on the Back

Christmas came early this year for the employees of a Bellevue, Washington, diner.

According to ABC News, a customer left a $3,000 gratuity on his card after paying for his meal at Brief Encounter. The check’s total was $39.

The restaurant’s owner expressed the shock of her staff after noticing the generous tip.

“At first, they didn’t know who it was,” said Melanie Bard.

Employees first made sure to rule out the possibility that the guest accidentally wrote such a large number on the receipt. Upon reading the handwritten note on the back, however, they realized the true intent.

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“You guys do a great job!” the note read.

The cooks and servers reminded him of his own hardscrabble upbringing, the customer wrote, and his gift was intended to provide a happier holiday for some others in the hospitality industry.

“When I was 7, I washed dishes and my mom cooked in a diner like this, we were dirt poor and didn’t have money for Christmas,” the note read. “Hopefully, this will help all of you have a better Christmas.”

The diner’s owner soon realized the gift came from a local businessman who frequently ate at the restaurant with his wife.

According to Bard, Dwayne Clark had been a patron for about eight years and is “a great customer when he comes in.”

Clark is currently the CEO of a local assisted-living community and explained in an interview why he chose to provide the generous gift.

He said his primary motivation was to perform a kind act in honor of his deceased mother.

“I saw how hard my mom worked for people who weren’t always appreciative,” he said.

Clark asked that the tip be split among the diner’s dozen employees, each of whom are receiving $250.

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While the additional income is sure to benefit the staff, Clark explained that he did not just want to leave money without the more important aspect of expressing his appreciation for hard work.

“You don’t have to give money,” Clark said to others considering how to show their gratitude. “You can write appreciative notes and say thank you.”

Such an attitude “would go a long way to nourish all of us,” he said.

He told KING that he hopes this story will inspire others to similarly express kindness and appreciation for others.

Julie Welsand, the server who waited on Clark the day he left the large tip, said his gift will impact many people in the community.

“They can all enjoy it with their families,” she said. “They’re just all excited. They’re excited.”

Some of the recipients cried when they learned of the gift while others remained in disbelief.

“They boys back there are like, ‘No way, no way,'” Welsand said. “They’re still going, ‘No way, no way.'”

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