Waiter frustrated with $3.28 tip. Eyes go wide receiving unexpected letter days later

You only get one chance to make a first impression, but these teenagers did everything they could when they realized their mistake.

A waiter in Los Angeles was serving four teens, really making sure that their evening was perfect. He then received a not so satisfying tip… The waiter was disappointed and upset that the kids and other people don’t understand the custom of tipping well for hard work.

He described on social media how he felt as a waiter when he only received a $3.28 tip from the teenagers:

“Nothing more frustrating than when I get little to nothing for a tip and the customer is smiling and thanking me profusely as they exit”. But then something very unexpected happened!

Roughly one week later, he received a letter:

“About a week and a half ago, on October 7, my 3 friends and I came to eat at this restaurant as our own homecoming celebration. It was an exciting experience for us to be here alone, and it was all new to us.

And you were the best waiter we could ask for. You were kind, helpful, accommodating, didn’t treat us like babies, and were even able to fit the food to all my allergies! So I wanted to say thank you for making our ‘grown-up’ experience so amazing and fun.

I would also like to say sorry on behalf of my group. Since we were new to all of this, our 13-year-old minds didn’t exactly know how to deal with the bill. You were super helpful in dividing the checkup and taking our not-so-preferable cash.

The bill was reasonable, but we had completely forgotten (and frankly didn’t know) what a tip even was, let alone how much to give. So we emptied our pocked and all our money added up to $3.28.”

“Not aware of how small this really was, we left, clueless of what we had left you for all your hard work.

Later, we realized our mistake and felt HORRIBLE. We knew we had to make it right.

So in this envelope, you will find the correct 18% tip + extra for simply being amazing. We appreciate your help and patience and thank you for making our night fun. Thank you!”

The bill was roughly $100, and a $3.28 tip is less than four percent! Thankfully, the teens realized their mistake and made sure to handle it appropriately.

The waiter posted a picture of the letter online along with some inspiring and kind words:

“I’ve been serving a long time, and nothing like this has ever happened to me, or anyone. I don’t know how you learned or educated yourself on tipping, but I really appreciate the effort and kindness. I hope your Homecoming was fantastic!”