Mark also shared the reason for his five-figure tip.
A customer at a Michigan restaurant surprised the staff by leaving a $10,000 tip on his $32.43 bill. Mason Jar Cafe staff were amazed when they learned the reason for the generous gift.
Typically, employees receive tips between 15 and 25%, but every now and then a customer will leave a much higher tip. “We usually see $100 every now and then [tips]” Tim Sweeney, the manager of the Mason Jar Cafe in Benton Harbor, told The Hill. “But never anything of this gratitude or greatness.”
Recently, a customer named Mark left a $10,000 tip on his $32.43 bill, which is a tip of around 30,835%.
Sweeney said he was “in complete disbelief at first” before confirming the amount to the customer. “We went back and forth. I had a conversation with him. He wanted to move on.” [The waitress] was shocked.”
Mark also shared the reason for his five-figure tip.
“It was in memory of a recently deceased friend who was in town for the funeral,” said waitress Paige Mulick, who was also working that day. “It was truly an act of kindness that touched so many people.”
The money was divided nine ways among the colleagues, who each took home just over $1,100. Mulick, a recent graduate of Western Michigan University, said she plans to put her share toward student loans.
“(I'm) going to reduce that interest as much as possible,” she laughed, adding that “there were so many incredible women working that day, so many hard-working mothers… who just deserve this.”
“In a job like this, every dollar counts,” Mulick continued. “We work hard. We know that some days you will earn more and some days you will earn less.”
Sweeney shared that employees were very touched by the gesture.
“Any time you can lend a hand and make a difference in someone's life – whether it's a small act or a big one – it's very important to keep that at the forefront and in your mind. A little goes a long way situation, a lot goes a long way.
When asked how long it takes for a restaurant like his to earn $10,000 in tips alone, Sweeney laughed.
“Many, many, many months,” he said.