Generous Man Leaves USD1,000 Tip On USD14 Bill For A Struggling Waitress
On our weekly FEEL GOOD FRIDAY column, we bring to you a story of an extra generous tip from a random stranger that came on the best possible day for one North Carolina bartender.
By Sadho Ram — 26 Sep 2014, 01:59 PM — Updated about 10 years ago
This is Chrisi Kemp. She is 37 years old, and works as a bartender in Wake Forest, North Carolina. On 11 September, when she walked into work, she was having a bad day.
When 37-year-old Chrisi Kemp walked into work at the One Whirled Cafe in Wake Forest, North Carolina on Sept. 11 she was having a bad day. She was struggling to deal with stacks of medical bills for her 5-year-old daughter, who had been sick for several months with an unusual allergy.
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To top it all off, her washing machine had broken down earlier that day, resulting in Kemp having “a total breakdown ” before coming to work. She and her husband had enough money to pay the bills but nothing left over.
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However, it didn't last long. A mystery customer left Chrisi with a USD1,000 tip on USD14 bill. The generous tipper, wishing to remain anonymous, called it good Karma.
Never underestimate the potential kindness of total strangers. Chrisi Kemp learned this lesson unexpectedly when a local man walked into One Whirled Café where she works and ordered a few drinks. After they struck up a casual conversation and he settled his bill of $14.01, he left Kemp a $1,000 tip and insisted she keep it.
The generous tipper, who wished to remain anonymous, assured Kemp that he indeed wanted to leave the tip when she questioned whether he had meant to do it. Kemp immediately went back and got the restaurant owners, because she did not know what to do. They also checked with the man before he left the restaurant, and were assured that he knew what he was doing. “He was serious about it and dead set on it,” said Chris Ortlepp, chef owner.
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Ortlepp said that it was the customer’s first time in the North Carolina restaurant, which has been open for only a little more than three months. She served the man a few drinks and then he settled his bill with a credit card. When she saw the tip, she told him “You don’t have to do that,” and the man responded “Do you need it? Well, then keep it.” Kemp said she did not know “whether to cry or what.”
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Chrisi, who has waited tables for 16 years, never anticipating that something like this could happen to her. After the tip, she waited several days before cashing in the tip, and even called the man before she did so to make sure he hadn't changed his mind.
The IRS took 43 percent out of the tip, and Kemp shared some with her colleagues since it was a slow night, but she was still left with a large and unexpected chunk of change. Ortlepp said they were thrilled for Kemp. He said that obviously there was a little disbelief, but they were happy it happened.
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Chrisi says she is still speechless and really cannot believe that she received a USD1,000 tip. She is thankful because she said she needed the money.
The Wake Forest, North Carolina restaurant where the big tipper paid it forward to Chrisi.
Image via s-nbcnews.com"I'm still speechless about some parts of it. I just can't even believe. I'm thankful for it because I needed the money," she said. "I do what I can I'm a very giving person myself. I just can't believe it happened to me."
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