Heartbreaking reason why customer left $10,000 tip for restaurant staff

A customer has left a huge tip at a restaurant in Michigan, and there's a heartbreaking reason why.

Staff at Mason Jar Cafe in Benton Harbor were left in shock when the diner added a $10,000 tip onto his bill earlier this month.

Manager Tim Sweeney explained that while staff do usually receive tips, it's never more than $100.

While most usually leave between 10 and 20 percent, the man in question left a whopping 30,835 percent of his bill.

“Typically, we’ll see every now and then $100 [tips],” Tim told The Hill. “But not ever anything of this gratitude or magnitude.”

While the food and drink bill came to just over $30, the customer, known as Mark, ended up paying $10,032.43 in total.

Tim said he was totally blown away when he saw the tip, and wanted to make sure it was correct.

He said he went over to chat with Mark to ensure he wanted to go ahead with the donation.

“We went back and forth. I had a conversation with him. He wanted to proceed,” Tim explained.

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During the chat, Mark revealed the heartbreaking reason why he decided to leave the gesture.

“It was in memory of a friend who had recently passed and he was in town for the funeral,” explained waitress Paige Mulick.

“It was just really an act of kindness that impacted so many people."

The restaurant split the tip nine ways among those who were working that day, with each taking home around $1,100.

Paige explained she would be putting her cut towards her student loans.

“Every dollar counts at a job like this,” she said.

“We work hard. We know that some days you’re going to make more and some days you’re going to make less. That’s just part of how it goes. But we hustle hard and I think that a lot of people really deserve this.”

Instagram/@masonjarcafe_

Paige added that 'so many incredible women working that day, so many hardworking mothers... just who really deserve this'.

Meanwhile, Tim said: “Any time you can lend a hand and change somebody’s life - whether it’s a small act or a large act - it’s very important to just keep that in the forefront, keep that top of mind. A little bit goes a long way. In this situation, a lot goes a long way.”

What an incredible gesture.