An Unexpected Gift: A Waitress's Remarkable Tip

We occasionally hear extraordinary stories about generous tips left for waitstaff, but this tale is truly exceptional by any standard.

It took place in a large Illinois restaurant where a waitress named Bethany, a single mother to an 11-year-old, works.

Bethany has been working at this restaurant for a few months; prior to that, she spent 25 years in customer service.

"Over the years, I've received some wonderful tips ranging from $100 to $200," she shares. "Most of the time this doesn't happen. Why? Because that's our society. People fail to see those who work hard. We are the invisible people, the ones who 'ended up' doing such jobs because we have no choice, and no one really cares whether we have the strength or what problems we face outside of work."

Bethany moved to Illinois from Miami and struggled to furnish her apartment on her waitress income.

One day, a famous couple came into the restaurant, including a singer Bethany adored in her youth. In her excitement, Bethany went above and beyond to serve the singer and his family, something he likely noticed. After learning about Bethany's situation as a single mom, the singer decided to leave her a tip following his family lunch. "He asked me not to open the receipt until he and his wife left the restaurant. It surprised me a bit, but I promised to do so."

Once they left, Bethany opened the receipt and saw that the singer had paid for his and his wife's meal, which totaled $35.27, and added a tip of... $2,020. On the back of the note, the singer drew a smiley face and wrote next to it: "Thank you, Bethany. Happy New Year."