CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — An Iowa couple said they left their server a $100 tip despite terrible service at the restaurant and posted a photo of their receipt online to serve as a reminder to others.
“I’m just sharing this as a friendly reminder to think of the entire situation, before you judge,” Makenzie Schultz wrote in her September 27 post.”And always always always remember where you came from.”
Schultz’s photo and message has been liked more than 1,000,000 times.
In her post she described the night and the events leading up to her viral tip.
“Our service tonight sucked,” she said. “Took 20 minutes to get water, 40 minutes for an appetizer and over an hour for our entree. People all around us were making fun of the restaurant and how bad the service was.”
But, she noted, the slow service did not appear to be the server’s fault. She said she believed the restaurant was understaffed and the server was responsible for 12 tables and the bar.
“He was running around like crazy and never acted annoyed with any table,” she wrote. “As I sat there and watched him run back and forth and apologize for the wait, I said to Steven… Wow, this used to be us. Waiting tables. I don’t miss it at all and I never loved that job. I did it for the tips. Steven and I agreed it would feel good to make this guys night when he would probably be getting minimal to no tips due to slow service. We walked out before he saw this and I’m not posting this for a pat on the back.”
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