Unique Experiences
Being in the foodservice industry is a hard job, and sometimes strange things happen. That is why when this woman encountered a group of men acting a little odd, she was a little unsure of how to continue.
In fact, as she began to serve them, she had a lot of internal bells going off, but she powered through and would get quite the surprise because she did.
Seems Sketchy
Women learn at a very early age that there are certain situations that could lead to some dangerous results. As a server, this waitress for sure had been exposed to several of these.
When the men at the table kept acting strange and eventually asked her to follow them into the back room, as a woman, this throws up all kinds of warning alarms.
Running Around
The Seagrape Café was packed as it often was during the holiday season. This left Ashley Latella very little time to take a break or to analyze the weird group of men that had just walked in.
The men had just come in through the door, and for some reason, they caught the eye of Ashley. They didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the customers, but she kept moving as there was no other choice.
They Don't Seem Right
The Seagrape Café was primarily a student bar, and so the older gentlemen that had come in as a group seemed out of place. But she wasn't the only one that noticed them.
The bar manager Carlos Carmo had also seen them come in. As the bar was pretty busy, he made a note to keep an eye on them but lost track quickly as the flood of customers kept coming in.
Uneasy Feeling
After the three guys were seated, Ashley, despite her uneasiness, went to their table to take their orders. Even as she did this, though, she still felt a weird vibe from them.
The table continued to call her over and ordered round after round. But even when she wasn't at the table, she could see them watching her. But whenever she came back to the table, it would get silent.
Couldn't Swap
Ashley had plenty of experience with these uncomfortable situations, and she had a typical way to handle them. Most of the time, if this happened, she would switch with another server.
This night though, the crowds were too much, and there was no way she was going to be able to do that. So she kept serving their table and maintained her smile.
Student Bar
Even still, she kept asking herself why a group of older guys would stumble into a college bar. This made them stand out more than their strange behavior.
They had to be up to something! Ashley felt this deep in her stomach, but she couldn't figure it out. They hadn't been rude or even flirty, but there was something wrong.
Not Gonna Pay
It would have been easier if the gentleman had been rude or mean. This would have at least allowed Ashley to be prepared for the next part of her interaction with them.
But when she came up to the table, and the gentlemen refused to pay their bill, she became even more worried. She knew that with the bar being so busy, it would not be good to have an issue come up with a table.
It's Time To Go Home
As she headed toward the table, she set the bill down. Ashley was happy as this meant her shift was almost over, and it had been a long night.
But when she set that bill on the table for them to pay, they came back with another suggestion. This put the icing on that strange feeling cake she had felt all night.
Can't Grab It
Her first thought was they were not ready to close out the tab and wanted another round. After all, one of them had picked up the bill folder and was holding it close to him.
Ashley tried to reach for it, but he would just keep pulling it away from her. He even did the whole teasing thing where he acts like he was going to give it to her and then pulled it back.
Not Ready For Games
It had been a long day, and this little game was getting old really quick. Just as the men could see she was getting frustrated, they stood up. Another move that had her put her guard up.
Each, in turn, looking her straight in the face and then motioned toward the back door. This made her even more nervous, and she was very hesitant to go with them.
What Did You Say?
The moment they wanted to talk to her by the back door, the fear and tension rose to new heights. They were very insistent, even moving in to whisper in her ear.
The music and surroundings, though, were really loud, and Ashley couldn't hear what the man said. So what was she going to do? This could lead to a very bad situation if she didn't make the right decision.
Private Payment
Maybe they just wanted to settle their tab in a quiet place. It was strange, but it wouldn't have been the first time.
But even though it was something that had happened, the rest of the evening's events seemed to make her very anxious about the situation. As this was happening, Ashley started looking for the manager. Having him present would make her calmer, and if they had a complaint, he would be there to put the fire out.
Don't Want To Go
There were a lot of thoughts racing through Ashley's mind. She had been a server for a long time, so she wouldn't be surprised if this was the guys just wanting to hit on her.
This would be something she could handle. But she wasn't sure that was what it was. All she really knew was that she did not want to go to the back room with these men.
Let Me Take It From Here
She was standing there trying to figure out what to do when she saw Carlos, the manager coming her way. So she caught his eye and immediately he knew she needed some help.
Seeing that Carlos had figured it out, Ashley relaxed a little and then told him about what was going on. He then decides he would take charge of the situation.
I Got Your Back
Instead of removing her from the situation, though, so there was no misunderstanding with the customer, Carlos accompanied Ashley to the back room.
The first thought of Carlos was that they wanted to complain about her service. But the two bar employees were in for a shock as the gentlemen had wanted her to pull Carlos into this situation too.
Watching You
The two employees and customers moved to the backroom, and then the gentleman started telling Ashley and Carlos that they had been watching them all night.
That eased the tension a little. That made Ashley feel less paranoid, but they still were staring at her all night. Why? What do they want to form them? Ashley braced herself for a complaint.
Wait A Minute
Carlos was bracing himself as well. There are many times that customers become a little too friendly with the staff, and it was his duty to protect his people.
So he was ready to stand up and so whatever needed to be done. What that would be, he was unsure, but he knew that Ashley was a good server, and so he wanted to protect her.
Impressed!
The tension had been building all night, and finally, the gentlemen went on to explain what they wanted to talk about in private. They were impressed with Ashley's and his work ethic.
He saw that the pace of the night had affected a lot of the other staff but that Ashley and Carlos had stayed strong and delivered top-notch service the whole time.
No Danger
Carlos was so relieved, as was Ashley. The men weren't creeps or dangerous at all; they were just observant customers. He was glad that he stepped in, though, so that Ashley felt comfortable and safe though.
But overall, he was so glad that this was not a dangerous situation that his server had been put in. In fact, it was a nice way to offer a little acknowledgment for her work.
What A Tip!
Now that they had explained to Carlos and Ashley what the deal was, they were willing to hand over the bill and settle their tab. The first spot most servers' eyes drop to when they look at the bill is the tip.
When Carlos did that, he was taken aback. All he saw was a five and two zeroes which were one heck of a tip!
Wait…What!?
Carlos was very thankful and immediately told the gentleman that he was very grateful for such a generous tip. But the guy was like, you better look again!
When Carlos' eyes returned to the bill, he noticed that he had missed a zero. The actual tip was $5000! This floored Carlos as that was unheard of. The bar manager was very grateful and thanked them profusely.
OMG!
Carlos was already floored, but he had to share the proof with the server that had spent the night worrying about this table and their intentions. He knew she was going to be shocked!
When Carlos showed Ashley, she could do nothing but break out in tears. It was the biggest and nicest tip she had ever gotten in her whole career. There were no words she could speak to thank them at the moment.
Who Are You?
Once the two servers were able to calm down, there was just one question that they wanted to ask. Well, actually, two questions: who were these guys? And why would they give such a generous tip?
They just couldn't figure out why someone would come into their bar and be so very generous when it came to a tip. So they finally asked the questions, and their reply was pretty shocking.
Special Group
The guys told the two that they belonged to a group known as "Tips for Jesus". They go around the country and use their wealth to help others like the Good Book tells people to do.
Since they are all very well financially, they feel that they should pay it forward so that others can feel good. Being charitable makes them feel good!
Nationwide Mission
In fact, this had not been the first bar they had done this in. The men had been traveling throughout the United States and leaving these big tips for random servers.
This wasn't even the biggest one. In Manhattan, they had left over $10K for one server. After this story was heard on social media, the word of these generous men spread all over the world.
They Were Everywhere
Once word got out, more and more stories of their deeds began to pop up. There were hundreds of stories that came out, and they all had the same basic lot.
The stories were coming out, but so too were the amounts the people that received the tips got. There were some good causes, and the way Ashley intended to use her money was no different.
Selflessly Used The Tip
Ashley was always generous if you asked her fellow teammates and her bosses. So it wasn't surprising when she talked about what she wanted to do with the tip.
Ashley wanted to pay the gentleman's kindness forward and opted to head to a toy store. She bought a bunch of toys and donated them. In fact, she didn't save one dime for herself!
Always Giving
So, she also headed out and bought nonperishable food and other stuff that she could donate to help others less fortunate than her. That was just who she was.
Carlos was not surprised as Ashley was always championing some cause and getting her fellow workers to chip in if they could. Ashley just had a good and giving soul, and she wanted to help others.
Right Time
One good deed turned into another good deed, and we are sure the ripple effect was felt for a while. The gentleman that started the ripple had no idea that they were choosing such a caring person.
All they wanted to do was give back and hopefully inspire others to do the same. Which we are sure they did.