Man pays it forward by tipping waitress $3,000 on $43.50 check
It's common to leave a nice tip for restaurant waitstaff who do a good job. But one man went above and beyond with his restaurant gratuity, leaving behind a $3,000 tip on a $43.50 check for a struggling waitress.
Mike, a resident in New York City, left the massive tip for a waitress who was facing some hard times. "This woman had been serving us for almost a year now. She's a lovely individual, and she talked about how she was served an eviction notice last month," Mike told ABC News.
Mike, who asked to remain anonymous, made the tip as part of the ReesSpecht Life foundation, a pay-it-forward movement started by teacher Ray Specht after the tragic death of his 22-month-old son. Mike asked the waitress to not "let 'Pay it Forward' end with you."
"I just had also been constantly thinking about for quite some time my teacher's project and this foundation, and I thought it was an appropriate time," Mike said. The tip seemed to make a big impact on the life of the waitress.
"She really needed it and has been so happy since then, so I feel I did the right thing," Mike told ABC News. "She said she was going to devote herself to the foundation and continue to pay it forward."
Mike says that the tip was a great way to honor his former teacher.
"I met Mr. Specht in eighth grade -- I was his science student - and he's an incredible human being. To see something so horrible happen to him ... it doesn't surprise me that he would start a foundation out of something so horrible that would just continue to keep good around and to keep wonderful things going," Mike said. "It was heart-wrenching for me to see it happen. I had been trying to pay it forward and this was just a big opportunity for me to be able to honor someone that's so wonderful."
