E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
This has been a summer of oppressive weather, political infighting and tragic violence, but it's also been a summer -- perhaps surprisingly, given the heated news -- for generous tips.
In July, Aaron Collins, a 30-year-old from Kentucky left a dying wish to his family: He wanted them to leave a waitress a $500 tip. Before he died on July 7, he told relatives that he had wanted to eat pizza and leave a big tip but didn’t have the money, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.
The family left that generous tip and has started giving $500 tips once a week in honor of Aaron. Money for the tips come from donations to an online nonprofit set up by the family.
Now, unrelated to the Collins’ tip mission, is the story of Kristen Ruggiero, a waitress from Cranston, R.I. who received $458 on a $42 check. Ruggiero has been a waitress at Uncle Tony’s Pizza and Pasta restaurant for 15 years.
"I thought it was a mistake," Ruggiero told the Providence Journal. These were new customers, she told the Journal, who had ordered one large pizza, a Marc Anthony hot sub sandwich, a large salad and a pitcher of beer.
A month later, the couple returned to the restaurant – and Ruggiero approached, ready to return the money in case they had left the five $100 bills by mistake.
But the man at the table assured her that it wasn’t a mistake and that she deserved the money.
Video of Seth Collins, Aaron Collins’ brother, giving $500 to a server in New York:
Leave a Comment:
That is such a cool story. Nice to read something like this to counter all the doom and gloom that gets reported each day.
For almost any waitress, getting a $500 tip is huge. That's usually more than they would earn in a week. Most work very hard, on their feet for hours, dealing with cranky customers, crying babies, over/under cooked food, co-workers who don't show up, spilled drinks, drunks and (in some states) smoke.
Any waitress who deals with all of that and is still pleasant and really does try to make your dining experience a good one really does deserve a good tip. In almost every case, that is where the majority of their pay comes from.
I believe this is such an honor to Aaron's last wish!!
Good for her, I'm not wealthy by any means but I always try and leave the biggest tip I can afford. Those girls, and guys too, work hard for their money and, unless the service is terrible and it's clearly the serves fault (they don't cook the food so that doesn't count) I always try and leave at least 25% and if they have service cards I fill those out too. It only takes a few bucks and a couple of minutes to show your appreciation.
I just woke up, that story brought a tear to my eye, I am inspired today,
GOOD JOB AARON AND FAMILY !!
Just another random act of kindness.
Tipping a waitress or waiter is one of I can say a generous act of giving something to make other people happy on what they are doing, like serving the customer in a very satisfying way they can give. Whether you work in a bar, fine restaurant, cafe, or greasy spoon, your job is first and foremost a sales job. The more you sell, the better your tips will be. It is customary in the U.S. to tip 15%-20% of the bill, before any taxes. As with other types of sales, a good waitress will improve her take-home pay by improving her skills. Some people think that waiting tables is easy. They are mistaken – isn’t it. It takes far more than a winning smile or pleasant manners to do the job well. To know more on how to become a successful in the career you have now as waitress or waiter and what are the skills you should honed you can visit