Customer leaves $5,600 tip at US restaurant

Washington: A customer left a whopping $5,600 tip at a restaurant in the US state of Ohio, which allowed the establishment’s 28-member staff to take home $200 each, a media report said.

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In a Facebook post, Moussa Salloukh, the owner of Souk Mediterranean Kitchen & Bar in Toledo, said the generosity left staffers cry tears of joy, the Daily Mail said in its report published on Monday.

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“This really happened. Last night one of our guests left a $5,600 tip to be given to all of our staff, whether they were working that shift or not. It meant each of our 28 staff members received a $200 tip. What an amazing gesture of kindness to my employees,” Salloukh wrote in his post dated December 13.

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“Be the reason someone believes in the goodness of people,” he said, adding: “With Covid restrictions and guidelines, that was not going to happen for them this year. So this heartfelt generosity was deeply needed and very appreciated.”

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Along with the post, Salloukh also attached a photo of the receipt that the customer left behind, showing a one penny food purchase and the handwritten $5,600 tip.

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Speaking to a local TV channel, the restaurant owner said after the customer left behind the tip, his general manager walked up to him with “this look on her”.

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“I asked if everything was all right and she just kind of showed me the cheque and it was a $5,600.00 tip,” the Daily Mail news report quoted Salloukh as saying.

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The massive tip came at a time when pandemic-induced restrictions have led to the closures of indoor dining and restaurants across the country.

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There has also been dramatic downturns in earnings, especially during the traditionally busy holiday season.

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About 17 per cent of the country’s restaurants, roughly 110,000, have permanently closed this year, with thousands more on the brink of shutting shop, according to a recent National Restaurant Association report.