Paterson IHOP waitress receives an early present for the holidays: a $1,200 tip
Keldy OrtizA group of friends got together Saturday in Paterson to eat, enjoy one another’s company and fill the pocket of a waitress.
Local activist Zellie Thomas and nearly a dozen friends finished eating at an IHOP restaurant in the city and were about to leave, but not before giving a $1,200 tip.
“She was still looking at it as we were paying the bill. We gave her the money and she was starting to count, like, ‘Wait, wait: You guys gave me too much money,' ” Thomas said. “ ‘You were supposed to give me this amount.’ And we were like, ‘No, that’s all for you. That’s your tip.’ ”
“Oh, my God, you’re going to make me cry,” the employee said in a video, covering her face while holding the tip. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”
The gesture, Thomas said, was inspired when a friend of his posted a story about a similar move in Colorado, where patrons left the waitresses $100 bills.
“I think what was going through her mind was: Why not us and why not here in Paterson?” Thomas said. “A lot of people responded.”
The IHOP employee could not be reached for comment Sunday. The gesture by Thomas and friends is something they hope others do as well.
“We all have the abilities to change someone’s life or make someone’s day a lot better,” he said. “And sometimes, it’s even really as simple as putting out the call to your friends, and you’ll be surprised at how many people respond to that call of action.”
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Keldy Ortiz is a breaking news reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to all the major news happening in North Jersey, subscribe here. To get breaking news directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter.
Email: ortizk@northjersey.com Twitter: @KeldyOrtiz