Good Person of the Week: Customer Leaves $16,000 tip at NH Restaurant

A gesture of appreciation and kindness is all it takes to make you a Good Person or Hero of the Week. In Londonderry, New Hampshire, that's what one person did to hard working waitstaff in a restaurant, when they left a large tip. Here's the story from Boston.com:

Anonymous customer leaves $16,000 tip at N.H. restaurant

Boston.com/ By Associated Press June 22, 2021 

LONDONDERRY, N.H. (AP) — A customer who ordered a couple of chili dogs, fried pickle chips and drinks at a New Hampshire restaurant left a big tip — $16,000.

The staff didn’t notice at first, Mike Zarella, owner of the Stumble Inn Bar and Grill in Londonderry, told WMUR-TV. The tab was $37.93 before the tip.

“It was on the credit card statement, they put it down next to the register and he said three times, ‘Don’t spend it all in one place.’” He said one staffer then flipped it over and looked, “and she’s like, ‘Oh my god, are you serious?’ And he said, ’I want you to have it, you guys work hard.’”

Zarella thought it was a mistake, but the bar manager talked to the customer, who said it wasn’t. He also wished to remain anonymous.

The restaurant closed for a few months during the pandemic and adjusted with take-out orders and outdoor dining.

The crew planned to pay it forward to their fellow employees.

“The back of the house works really hard, the kitchen, they’re giving them a big tip out of that, which is very generous of them to do,” Zarella said.