It was early Wednesday morning when the day’s first group of diners walked into the Olympia restaurant.
Melissa Hale, who has been waiting tables and working the cash register at Olympia for more than 20 years, approached the six women as she does any other customers — wishing them a good morning, introducing herself and then taking their orders.
Roughly an hour later is when Hale realized this was no normal breakfast party — at least not for her. When she returned to see if anyone wanted a final cup of coffee, the group had placed six $100 bills on the table.
“This is for our breakfast. Anything left over is yours,” one of the group said. Given that the breakfast tab ran about $60, Hale found herself with a $540 tip.
“It was really shocking,” Hale said later that day. “Yeah, it was very nice, very sweet. It made me cry,” she recalled. “When I went back to the table, one of the ladies had the money in a clear box…and said, ‘We came out this morning to bless someone, and that’s you.’ We’ve had people who give us a little money for Christmas, but never anything that large.”
The group of six women requested to remain anonymous, but one said she recently had wanted to do something to help a local individual or family this holiday season. She called several of the resource agencies which oversee efforts to ensure underprivileged local children and families have Christmas presents and food, and they all reported to her all their needs were met for the holiday season.
About that time a friend of hers forwarded to her an article about a group of individuals in another city who visit a restaurant together from time to time — everyone dropping $100 into a collection, with all the money left after the bill is settled going to the server or waiter.
Soon there were six of them all committed to the idea, and Wednesday, at Olympia, is the restaurant they decided to visit.
“We decided which restaurant we’re going to because we know how hard the ladies there work. We all know how hard the service industry is right now. When we gave her the money, she said ‘You have no idea how much I appreciate this, and I’m humbled people are this kind.’”
It did not take long for their generosity to set the tone for others to follow. Upon receiving the tip, Hale almost immediately called the other server working that morning, Jessica Velazquez, to the back.
“I was busy with other tables when the people gave her the tip,” Velazquez said. “I heard something, but I wasn’t sure what was going on…I went to the kitchen, and she (Hale) told me.”
And then Hale told her she would be splitting the tip evenly with Velazquez.
“I was like ‘No,’ and She said yes, and I was all surprised. It made me so happy. I almost cried. Seriously, I almost cried.”
The organizer of the anonymous group said the blessing was a two-way street.
“Those two servers weren’t the only two who were blessed. We were all blessed, to be able to do something like that. We are blessed because we met new people…made new friends.”
As they were leaving, she said the group noticed there were stockings hanging in the restaurant, with staff names on each one, so they gave more for the rest of the staff — putting a little more cash, along with gift cards, in the stockings for the rest of the workers there.
As the group dined, even before they gave the money to the servers, one of them said “We should do this every month, in some form or fashion,” the group’s spokesperson said. Each month, the group plans to visit a restaurant, or coffee shop, or some sort of service-oriented business to leave a large tip, or gift, to some of the staffers.
Rather than seeking any sort of credit or public recognition, she said the group is hoping for just two things. First, that they are able to make a difference in the lives of those who receive their gifts; and second, that more people in Surry County will take up the effort and do something similar, to help even more people.
“I realized I’m probably the happiest I’ve ever been in my whole life and I’m probably way more blessed than I deserve,” the group’s spokesperson said, a feeling shared by her dining mates. “As we were sitting there, all of us who were sitting there at the table are really blessed, and we decided to do this, to share blessings with others.”
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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