Are You a Big Tipper?

When you go out to eat, do you pull out your calculator to figure out the exact amount of the tip, or do you throw $5 down on the table and call it done? In either case, the thought of leaving someone a tip of hundreds of dollars may be beyond your comfort level. You may find it surprising to know that there are people around the country that have left tips larger than anyone would consider normal. Here are four of the biggest tips that have made the news:

1.$500 in Lexington, Kentucky
When 29-year-old Aaron Collins found out that he was dying, he began to get his affairs in order. As part of his last wishes, Collins asked his parents to do something spectacular: give a server of their choice a $500 tip. To honor his wishes, his parents went to Puccini’s Smiling Teeth in Lexington, Kentucky and gave a very stunned server the biggest tip of her life. Today, the family continues to collect donations from the public, using the donations to surprise waiters and waitresses with overly generous tips.
2.$5,000 in Houston, Texas
At D’Amico’s Italian Market Café, a waiter got the surprise of his lifetime from one especially kind couple. Greg Rubar’s car was destroyed by storms that had thundered their way through the area, leaving him without transportation. When a couple, who were regular customers at the café, heard of Rubar’s plight, they left him a $5,000 tip so he could replace his car.
3.$10,000 in Santa Monica, California
Whether it was to show-off or to be truly generous, we don’t know, but whatever his reason, the $10,000 tip Donald Trump left his waiter was undoubtedly amazing. As the story goes, Trump visited Buffalo Club and was seated in the VIP section with his male guest. The two ordered beverages and dinner, ending up with a bill that totaled just over $82. Imagine the waiter’s surprise when his tip wasn’t 20 percent of the bill, but more than 20 times the amount of the bill.
4.$12,000 in Moorhead, Minnesota
It’s uncertain whether the cash left for Stacy Knutson was for her stellar services or an attempt by her customer to get rid of evidence, but Knutson received the biggest tip of her life earlier this year. Knutson found a to-go box her customer had left behind and, when she tried to return it to him, he told her to keep it. Imagine Knutson’s surprise when she opened the box to find wads of cash that totaled $12,000. Knutson did the honest thing and contacted the police who seized the money. After waiting 60 days to see if anyone claimed the cash, the police turned the money back over to Knutson who used the money for herself and her five children.
<p>While you may think that a 20 percent gratuity is asking for a lot, consider that your server makes less than minimum wage and relies on your tips, and those of others, as his or her main source of income. If you have a stellar server, you certainly don’t have to leave hundreds of dollars down on the table when you leave, but you can certainly show your appreciation with a higher than average tip.