Return to top Waiter Is Angry With $3.28 Tip, But Days Later Receives Unexpected Letter Which Opens His Eyes


By - 26th January 2018

Growing older is a part of life which you just can’t escape, and as we grow older we sometimes make mistakes in order to learn. Which is exactly what happened to a group of teenagers who were out for their homecoming.

When they had finished their meal, they left a tip of $3.28 for a £100 bill, which is less that 4%. The waiter was obviously frustrated at this, and anyone who had worked in a bar or restaurant will understand why.

But realizing their mistake, the group of teens returned to the restaurant with a letter, as well as a further $18. The letter read:

“About a week and a half ago, on October 7, my 3 friends and I came to eat at this restaurant as our own homecoming celebration. It was an exciting experience for us to be here alone, and it was all new to us.

And you were the best waiter we could ask for. You were kind, helpful, accommodating, didn’t treat us like babies, and were even able to fit the food to all my allergies! So I wanted to say thank you for making our ‘grown-up’ experience so amazing and fun.

I would also like to say sorry on behalf of my group. Since we were new to all of this, our 13-year-old minds didn’t exactly know how to deal with the bill. You were super helpful in dividing the checkup and taking our not-so-preferable cash.

The bill was reasonable, but we had completely forgotten (and frankly didn’t know) what a tip even was, let alone how much to give. So we emptied our pocked and all our money added up to $3.28.”


“Not aware of how small this really was, we left, clueless of what we had left you for all your hard work.

Later, we realized our mistake and felt HORRIBLE. We knew we had to make it right.

So in this envelope, you will find the correct 18% tip + extra for simply being amazing. We appreciate your help and patience and thank you for making our night fun. Thank you!”

Blown away by the gesture of the teenagers, the waiter uploaded a photo of the letter online, along with the following caption:

“Nothing more frustrating than when I get little to nothing for a tip and the customer is smiling and thanking me profusely as they exit. These kids came back another day and left this for me at the front desk, with $18 and some change.

I’ve been serving a long time, and nothing like this has ever happened to me, or anyone. I don’t know how you learned or educated yourself on tipping, but I really appreciate the effort and kindness. I hope your Homecoming was fantastic!”


The teens most certainly learnt from the experience and won’t make the same mistake again. And it’s safe to say that the waiter was overwhelmed by their act of kindness.

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