A waitress in Maine got an early Christmas present – a $1,000 tip from a fellow server who stopped by with her family for a bite 15 minutes before closing this past Saturday, according to a report.
Linda Tucker, who has been waiting on tables at Fran’s Restaurant in Lewiston for almost 12 years, was so moved by the gesture that she decided to pay it forward, the Sun Journal reported.
“I just kind of stood there for a minute, ‘Are you serious?’” Tucker told the paper. “I could feel myself getting tears, she got tears. COVID aside, I said, ‘Can I give you a hug?’ She said, ‘Absolutely.’”
The eatery’s owner, Cassandra Gauthier, said she was “elated” that Tucker got the generous tip.
“If anyone deserves it, it’s her,” she said. “She always goes above and beyond and takes great care of this place like it’s her own. She’s such a good mother and a good person and a great worker.”
Tucker decided to share her windfall with her four co-workers, so she went home and taped $100 bills to their Christmas cards and tucked lottery tickets inside for good measure.
“The people that I work with are just awesome people. Out of all of the places I’ve ever worked, we’re a team,” she told the Sun Journal. “I just felt so much joy, being able to share that with them. It was an amazing day, an amazing end to a crappy year.”
Tucker, who has two kids, added: “I hope this lady just realizes how much that meant to us, being a small business, how much we appreciate the support. It was wonderful.”
A post on the restaurant’s Facebook page also pays homage to the altruistic employee.
“As the team leader, I tried giving her back her generous gift in which she replied ‘I don’t think so. We’re a team and I couldn’t have received this gift without the assistance of everyone!!’”
“Linda Johnson Tucker, you are an amazing team leader and human being, We all love you and appreciate your hard work and dedication to everything that Fran’s is. A thousand Thank-you’s will never be enough to show my appreciation,” it added.
