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-person staff to take home $200 each, a media report said.

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.

"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.

"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."

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.

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".

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

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

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

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