A server has been left in tears after a customer left the restaurant she works in two $10,000 tips.
There is no questioning that tipping culture is a big thing in the US, and one that is pretty divisive too.
We've heard some pretty wild tipping stories across the country in the last year, including delivery driver who was fired for his response to an underwhelming tip.
And to start 2024, one server has been left in utter shock thanks to the amazing generosity of a customer.
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El Nuevo Mexico in Bastrop, Texas, is run by six siblings, with the diner being part of the family's backbone at this point.
"It's all walks of life that come into your restaurant, and you don't know if they're having a bad day or a good day," said Elvia Jaimes, one of the siblings, in an interview with Fox 13 News.
"That’s one thing that we take pride in is just welcoming everybody."
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Denise Ruiz was offered a job on the spot at the restaurant some eight years ago, despite having no prior server experience.
Ruiz remains at El Nuevo Mexico to this very day, with her coworkers and customers essentially part of her family.
A man named Robert is a regular customer at the restaurant, and during a visit in June, he did something pretty unexpected.
Not only did he cover the tab for everyone in the diner, but he also left a whopping $10,000 tip.
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The owners decided to post something on social media some months later to acknowledge their appreciation for Robert.
Jaimes said: "Now that the year has ended, we just felt very grateful. We thought, let's share it, an act of kindness, just to show that there are still good people out there."
The following day in the heat of June, Robert returned to see Ruiz working on shift.
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"I was like, ‘Where's your mom?’ and he was like, ‘Denise she passed away,’" Ruiz said. "And I started crying because I would serve them [both] breakfast on Sunday morning after church."
The pair had quickly formed a bond, as Robert discovered that the server's son was going through cancer treatment.
Robert left another $10,000 tip that day, so Ruiz could take her son on a trip somewhere once he had fully recovered.
"It made me cry because you see that no longer [is it] just a restaurant or customers - they’re family," she said.
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Ruiz hopes to go on that trip at some point but for now decided to share the money with her co-workers.
Ruiz added: "You realize that there is a God when you see actions like that, that are not selfish with no motive and that’s beautiful in this world that’s so chaotic right now."
Topics: Food and Drink, US News, Money
Callum Jones