Bartender thought diner mistakenly left a $16,000 tip on a $38 bill — but his response stunned them

The server didn't look at the bill immediately as the restaurant was busy, but she was in shock later on.

PUBLISHED 8 HOURS AGO

A waitress walking with two large bowls of food. Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Alvarez

Some people get to experience things that might seem like a once-in-a-lifetime event. The staff at a New Hampshire restaurant experienced such a thing when a customer left a tip worth $16,000 on a $38 bill. At first, when the bartender who had collected the tip saw the amount, she was in disbelief and thought that it was a mistake. However, once the customer confirmed that he indeed wanted her to have it, the staff and restaurant owner were completely stunned, according to TODAY.com.

A waitress bringing trays of food for the customers. Representative Image Source: Getty Images | DGLimages

The tip was left at Stumble Inn Bar & Grill in Londonderry, New Hampshire and the customer requested to stay anonymous, per Michael Zarella, the restaurant owner. "A gentleman came in at the bar and ordered a beer and a couple of chili cheese dogs and then he ordered pickle chips and a Patron (tequila) drink. At around 3:30, he asked the bartender… for the check. She gave it to him and walked away and then he said to her, 'Don't spend it all in one place,'" Zarella recounted. The bartender didn't get a chance to look at the amount because the restaurant was really busy. She was planning on looking at the amount and submitting the tip when she had a break.

A person leaving a tip at a restaurant. Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Grace Cary

However, as the customer joked about not spending the entire amount at one place multiple times, she was compelled to look at what he had left as a tip. "She said, 'Oh my god, are you kidding me?' She said, 'No, no, that's crazy,' and he said, 'No, I want you to have this.' He's come in a few times since then … Last Saturday night, he came in and I sat with him to talk with him for a couple of minutes. I told him that we were all uncomfortable with that kind of money and he said no, he wanted this to happen." The restaurant owner even posted a photo of the bill and thanked the customer for his generosity on Facebook. The caption read, "Stumble Inn had a very generous customer. We thank you for your generosity."

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"I’ve been doing this a very long time and I never thought anything like this would happen to me," bartender Michelle McCudden told NBC Boston. The man assured the staff that it was not a joke. Eight bartenders were working at the restaurant and the amount was split among them, per TODAY.com. Some of the money was also given to the kitchen workers at that time. Zarella waited until June 21 that year to make sure that the check would go through before promising anything. But the check went through and he was glad that he could give the money to his staff, who were excited for the extra compensation.

The owner shared that the extra money was like receiving double or triple their paycheck for his staff. "People who are well-deserving got a huge tip. Last week, they were worried it didn't go through, so they didn't count on it. Now they're like, 'Wow.' Some of them are single moms, now planning a vacation. They're getting good money out of it. They're really overwhelmed. They're like, 'Wow, I can go do this this summer. I didn't budget for that, now I can do that.' It's really fantastic," Zarella expressed.