Staff forced to close down restaurant, get emotional when they see guest left $2,500 tip
This anonymous customer hated the idea of the service staff struggling due to the coronavirus. So he decided to give them all that he could.
On a Sunday in mid-March, the TVs in Coaches Bar and Grill gave customers and staff members the news they had been dreading for weeks: all restaurants and bars would be closing indefinitely to stop coronavirus.
The customers were upset, but the service staff members were devastated. Their only source of income would be gone, with little hope of finding a replacement.
When the coronavirus lockdowns came into place, everyone was shocked and upset. But for many, the uncertainty was and is terrifying.
People like the service staff at Coaches Bar and Grill worried about being able to pay their rents, to even pay for food for their children.
Luckily, one customer in the bar decided to help all of the waitstaff and bartenders out.
He had been going to the bar for many years. He knew all of the employees by name. And he had no major financial woes, even when faced with the coronavirus lockdown.
So he ordered a drink and a meal. He enjoyed his meal and tried to savor the moment. After all, this would be his last outing in a while. But of course, it was difficult with all of the worry in the room.
When he got the check, he decided to leave a big tip. A very big tip.
It was only when the customer had left the bar that the bartender picked up the check and got shocked at what he saw.
The food had cost a little less than $30. The customer paid this and left a tip of $2,500. But he had some very specific instructions on what the bar was to do with the money.
On the check was a message: “Please split this tab equally between Tara, Nicky, Jim, Liz and Arrun.” They were all of the service staff members who would soon be unemployed.
The waiters were all amazed at what this kindly customer had done. The fear was still there, but the money would surely help them out.
And it also reinforced the hope that there were others out there who were willing to help the less fortunate through the crisis.
Patrick Leonard, the owner of Coaches Bar and Grill, later said that, “This is where we should all be. The more we have of this, the better the country will roll through these unprecedented times.”
Coaches Bar & Grill continues to operate on a take out basis. Its state, Ohio, is gradually easing coronavirus restrictions. On May 2nd, retail stores partially reopened, and on May 4th, office work resumed.
Hopefully, coronavirus will start to die out in the coming weeks, meaning that Coaches can open its doors to customers once more.
When the doors finally do re-open again, it will be easy to guess who the service staff members’ favorite customer will be! The big tipping customer has asked to remain anonymous, but these employees all know who he is and are keen to thank him for his generosity.
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