Employees at a restaurant in Scottsdale, Ariz., have dubbed an anonymous patron their “Secret Santa” after he left an extremely generous tip for the entire staff to share.
During the busy morning rush on Saturday, a complete stranger left a $2,000 tip for his $17 bacon and eggs breakfast at the Five and Diner, according to reports. That amounts to a 11,607 percent tip!
Customer leaves $2000 tip at 5 & Diner near Indian Bend and Pima Rd in Scottsdale. Staff say tip made everybody's day and say the customer is their Secret Santa. #Fox10phoenix pic.twitter.com/PBSiIUaLm5
— Robert Hernandez (@rhernandezpilot) December 12, 2017
The diner added a message along with the generous tip: “Please split with the whole staff. Merry Christmas.”
SECRET SANTA? On a random Saturday morning, someone left a big fat tip for the entire staff at @5andDiner in Scottsdale. Was it you? Hear the story behind it on @FOX10Phoenix at 9pm MT. pic.twitter.com/ganncSGj5Z
— Matt Rodewald FOX 10 (@Matt_Fox10) December 12, 2017
The $2,000 split amongst the staff turned out to be about $222 a person. The server got $400, according to 6ABC.
Manager/server Delia Meek said the tip made her rub her eyes and look again. “We looked at it and we go, ‘$200… oh no, it’s $2,000.'”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen that one. You hear about it on the news but never think it’ll happen to you,” she said.
“It takes a lot of weight off their shoulders. $200 makes a big difference on bus boy pay or cooks pay or hostess. So $200, it makes your week,” Meek said.
Meek told 12News that they were keeping the identity of their benefactor secret to protect his privacy, but would love for him to return to the restaurant so she and the rest of the staff could thank him personally.
Asked what she intends to spend the money on, Meeks replied, “Gifts!”
“That’s what we work for,” she added. “It just made our Christmas season a little easier for everybody.”
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