A small business owner in Missouri has been on a mission to surprise servers in St. Louis with huge tips, but she got a surprise of her own from one waiter.
Nicole Genz has been raising money from her social media followers as part of the viral “Venmo Challenge,” asking for donations that she then uses for generous gratuities.
Genz was dining at Saffron Indian Cuisine and at the end of the meal, she explained to her server that she’d raised $2,021 from many people for his tip. But instead of happily taking the cash, he politely refused.
“I cannot take it. I really appreciate your donation, but … it’s too much for me,” he says to Genz. “Some places really need this money more than us. I really appreciate your support.” She told him she hopes he and the restaurant get “10 times more support” after that and Genz was able to pay it forward to tip another deserving restaurant worker.