His tab was only $7.02, but he left a four-figure tip.
On the day the restaurant and jazz club was slated to temporarily close because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a customer left a $3,000 tip on a single beer, hoping to help the staff.
Four employees worked the brunch shift that day, according to the owner.
Brendan Ring owns Nighttown, the Cleveland restaurant and club that has operated for more than five decades.
Nighttown closed again Sunday (November 22), remaining that way for several weeks and likely through the end of the year. The closure also comes as Thanksgiving approaches, and many officials anticipate holiday gatherings to lead to more COVID-19 surges.
Apparently understanding that the club — as many other establishments in the restaurant and entertainment industry — is taking a hit this year, a customer turned his Stella Artois into an act of random kindness.
“Take care of this. Split it among waitstaff,” Ring said the customer told him, before leaving. Ring thought: “‘Oh my God! He left a $300 tip on a $7 bar tab,’ and then I put my glasses on…I looked down and I said, ‘Oh my God.’ It was a $3,000 tip!’”
The man wasn’t the only one looking out for Nighttown. In the past week, many customers have picked up large orders of food to freeze, Ring explained to 19 News.
But Ring had to share the story of the generous tip on Facebook.
“I ran after him and he said no mistake we will see you when you reopen! Unbelievable but symbolic of the kind of quality folks we have know at Nighttown all these years,” Ring wrote. He declined to name the customer, but assured that “all my waitstaff and myself and humbly grateful for this incredibly kind and grand gesture.”
Photo: Getty Images