While it is considered good form to tip well, tipping $2,000 is something else entirely.
The staff at Blue 44, a restaurant in Washington, D.C., had their faith in humanity revived when one of their regulars decided to tip $2,000 for a $93 bill.
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The generous patron and his dining companion ate fried chicken, gumbo and drank Old Chub Scotch Ale before departing. At the bottom of the bill, the patron had specified that the tip should be divvied up: $1,000 to the chef, James Turner, and $500 each for waitress Laura Dally and restaurant owner Christofer Nardelli.
When the staff noticed the incredible note at the bottom of the bill, everyone was speechless.
“This is the kind of stuff you see in the restaurant business that happens to some guy in the Midwest or the West Coast,” Nardelli told the Washington Post. “You think, who are these people who give these extraordinarily generous tips that just made a server or bartender’s day. And then sure enough, it happened to us.”
Nardelli emailed the customer to express his gratitude and receive an explanation for the extreme generosity. The patron's explanation was simple: He appreciates his regular haunt.
“He said he’s very happy with what we’ve built and that he’s proud to be a customer," Nardelli explained.
Waitress Dally says that the tip is enough to cover the costs of her summer class. Nardelli and Chef Turner both say they intend to spend the money on their families.
Chef Turner told WJLA that it was incredibly touching to have someone express appreciation in such a dramatic gesture. "To have an individual take the time to thank me for something that I put time and effort into is so appreciated."