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When customer realized he accidentally missed tipping his server, he made amends with a priceless gesture

A man, who dined at a restaurant with his wife, forgot to tip their server and then found a wholesome way to apologize for it.

BY AMPLIFY STAFF

PUBLISHED JAN 29, 2025

A waitress serving coffee to a man and a woman (Representative Cover Image Source: Pexels | Kampus Production)

Is the tipping culture right or wrong in the U.S.? It is a debate that has intrigued the internet since forever. However, countless workers in the service industry depend on tips to get by. A post on the Facebook page of Side Street Pour House and Grill, a restaurant located in North Carolina, detailed an interesting experience with one of their patrons. A man named Ted visited the restaurant back in 2024 with his wife. After enjoying their meal, Ted wanted to tip the waitress who served them but he missed to.

Ted had brought the wrong copy of his credit card to the restaurant, so he couldn't tip their waitress $20. Later on, the restaurant shared the post on their Facebook page, revealing a letter sent by Ted along with $20 for a waitress named Hope C. "We just had to share this letter from a customer who accidentally took the wrong copy of his credit card receipt with him when he stopped in for lunch with his wife. Unfortunately, this meant their server did not receive the tip they intended to leave her that afternoon," the caption alongside Ted's letter and the money read.

The restaurant mentioned that their servers worked hard to give the customers of their restaurant an incredible experience when they visited. But sometimes, they missed out on receiving the tips. Other times, people intentionally did not tip their servers. Ted apologized through his letter for not being able to tip their server. "I pulled my receipts and discovered that I had inadvertently retained the signed merchant's copy of my VISA receipts when I left the restaurant. As a result, while the food was fully paid for, the tip which I had intended to leave for our server, Hope C, was not relayed back to VISA," Ted wrote in his letter as he hoped the waitress would forgive his blunder.

A waitress talking to two customers at a cafe (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Kampus Productions)

"Please find her cash tip enclosed. That was no way for either of us to end 2023. Here is to a fresh start," Ted's letter concluded. He addressed the letter to Mr. Eller, who was possibly associated with the restaurant. People in the comments section lauded Ted's actions and sincerity. Teresa Kelly commented, "Perfect example of an absolute class act. I wish the world was full of this. We’d all be so much better off. Thank you, Ted." Julie Brennan wrote, "What a classy thing to do! Well done to Ted. Wish there were more people like him in the world."

An envelope with $20 bills (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Karolina Kaboompics)

Brandy Miller Duke mentioned, "People are good. We are just trained to hear mostly the bad. Good for Ted and happy for Hope!" Stacey Marie Pisano revealed, "I've always had great service at Side Street Pour House and Grill. Bravo, ladies and gentlemen." Ann Phillips quipped, "Very cool. I have encountered people this honest and encouraging many times." Elizabeth Bird remarked, "Love that! And for Hope, may that put a smile on your face and a spring in your step. It is very hard working in customer service. Here is someone who really appreciated your service." April Hardy-Johnson added, "Faith in humanity, restored. There are still good people out there. Ted, you are a good people."