A waitress handed a whopping $4,400 tip by a stranger has been fired after her boss ordered her to share it with her colleagues.
RB was one of two servers waiting on a party of more than 40 people at OT in Bentonville, Arkansas, on Friday.
When it came time to pay the bill, each diner left a $100 dollar tip for a collective $4,400 for the two waitresses.
“It was an incredible thing to do, and to see her reaction was awesome—to see what that meant to her and the impact that it’s had on her life already,” recalled one of the diners, GW.
GW, who owns a real estate company, said he called ahead to the restaurant and asked about the tipping policy to make sure everything would go smoothly.
But he told Nexstar’s KNWA that things did not go according to plan.
“I was told that I was going to be giving my cash over to my shift manager, and I would be taking home 20%,” said BRr.
RB and another waitress were left in tears as he gave them the money.
But soon after, RB said restaurant managers told her she’d have to split the tip with all of her co-workers—something she claims hasn’t happened in the three-and-a-half years she has worked there.
The University of Arkansas grad, who is in her early 30s, told Fox 59: “I was told that I was going to be giving my cash over to my shift manager and I would be taking home 20 percent.”
Brandt said that after that, she was fired, leaving her no way to cover her bills.
“It was devastating; I borrowed a significant amount for student loans. Most of them were turned off because of the pandemic, but they’re turning back on in January, and that’s a harsh reality,” said RB.
RB said the restaurant told her she was let go because she violated policy by telling GW about pooling the tips.
KNWA asked OT if that was true. They declined an interview but did provide KNWA with a statement:
“After dining, this large group of guests requested that their gratuity be given to two particular servers. We fully honored their request. Out of respect for our highly valued team members, we do not discuss the details surrounding the termination of an employee.”
Now, GW has started an online fundraising campaign to help RB out.
