Waitress fired after receiving $4,400 tip from customer

A waitress in Arkansas was fired after she opted to take home a generous $4,400 tip she had been offered by a group of diners.

Working in the service industry, getting a good tip can be the difference between a good day and a bad day.

Oven & Tap server Ryan Brandt had been serving a table of more than 40 business executives at the Arkansas restaurant when she was stunned to find the hefty tip they had left her for her services.

The exciting moment was later uploaded to Instagram by one of the dinner’s attendees, Rebecca Soto.

Writing a caption she said: "I have been blessed, so it is wonderful to pay it forward and bless someone else.

"God bless all who contributed and the servers who received it. I pray it may be multiplied and impact their life for the better."

The video shows the evening’s host, Grant Wise, giving the fat stack of cash to Ryan before saying: "Everybody at this table has contributed or tipped $100 for you, and for the other waitress, who unfortunately had to go home because she wasn't feeling well.

"And then we put it out to our social media channels, and we actually had quite a bit more money sent in. So we are tipping you a total of $4,400 for you to split with the other girl that took care of us."

Ryan was left in tears over the touching gesture and thanked him and the table again and again.

But it seems that the festivities only lasted so long as the restaurant has since fired Ryan, shortly after she was given the small fortune.

After the momentous occasion, the server revealed to KNWA News: "I was told that I was going to be giving my cash over to my shift manager, and I would be taking home 20 per cent."

She also told the outlet that she had been working at Oven & Tap for over three years and was never instructed to divvy up her tips with coworkers before.

Wise soon found out about the news and allegedly asked for the money back, Distractify reports.

After getting the tip back, the diner then gave it back to Ryan but outside the premises this time to ensure she would keep every last cent of it.

Instagram/@rebeccasoto_legacy

However, Ryan re-entered the restaurant only to find out she had been fired for taking the money.

According to Ryan, she had been fired by Oven & Tap because she 'violated its policy'.

The restaurant has since issued a statement on the matter which reads: "After dining, this large group of guests requested that their gratuity be given to two particular servers.

"We fully honored their request. Out of respect for our highly valued team members, we do not discuss the details surrounding the termination of an employee."

UNILAD has reached out to Oven & Tap for further comment.

Topics: News, US News, Money, Food and Drink

Gerrard Kaonga

Gerrard is a Journalist at UNILAD and has dived headfirst into covering everything from breaking global stories to trending entertainment news. He has a bachelors in English Literature from Brunel University and has written across a number of different national and international publications. Most notably the Financial Times, Daily Express, Evening Standard and Newsweek.