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Just as a restaurant in Ohio was preparing to close for a second time due to COVID-19 concerns, one customer left a tip of $3,000 on an order of one $7 beer.
Ohio jazz and blues club Nighttown in Cleveland Heights was conducting business on Sunday, the restaurant’s final day before voluntarily closing for the second time in 2020 due to the rising number of cases of coronavirus.
One customer, however, wanted to do his part to make sure that some of the people who would be losing out on income during the closure had at least a little bit of cushion as we head into the holidays after ordering a Stella Artois for which he was billed $7.02.
Nighttown owner Brendan Ring shared the unusual and inspiring story on Facebook.
“So just before we closed today at Nighttown a customer walked in and ordered a beer and asked for the check and handed his credit card slip to me, wished me well while we sit out our voluntary shutdown and told me to share the tip amongst the wait staff of which there were four working brunch today,” Ring wrote.
“As he walked out I looked down at the tip and realized he left a whopping $3000 tip on a single beer purchase.
“I ran after him and he said no mistake we will see you when you reopen!
“Unbelievable but symbolic of the kind of quality folks we have know at Nighttown all these years.
“I could post his name but I won’t as I think he wouldn’t want that but all my waitstaff and myself and humbly grateful for this incredibly kind and grand gesture.”
Ring explained to Fox 19 what the customer said as he was walking away, as well as what his reaction was to the kind gesture.
“‘Take care of this. Split it among waitstaff,'” Ring recalled. “Oh my God! He left a $300 tip on a $7 bar tab and then I put my glasses on. Right? And I looked down and I said, ‘Oh my God.’ It was a $3,000 tip!”
He says the restaurant is usually open 364 days a year – only closing on Christmas – but this year is much different.
“Am I doing the right thing? Is this the right thing to do? I have to consider my staff, right?” Ring said. “In the last two weeks, this COVID has gotten very, very close to all of us and I’ve had four customers, really close customers, get it.”
Ring says he doubts he will reopen Nighttown before the year comes to an end.