Florida server surprised with $1,000 tip

A server at Florida restaurant was pleasantly surprised with a $1,000 tip just days before Christmas.

Stacey White, a server at Reececliff Family Diner in Lakeland, said she was shocked when she discovered a customer had left her a $1,000 tip.

“I paused because I was in shock,” she told WTVT-TV. “Then the overwhelming feeling of gratitude set in. I just started crying afterwards, because it just shows that there are good people still out there.”

The tip turned out to have originated with a nonprofit called The Big Fat tip, which was started by former server Deedre Daniel to bring surprise windfalls to wait staff in need.

“I made this little vow to myself, when I made it, I would go around giving out big fat tips,” Daniel said.

The nonprofit has volunteers who have left $1,000 tips at restaurants across the country. The money is raised via donations on the group’s website, and a tip is left every time the donation total reaches $1,000.

The group has left 39 $1,000 tips for servers across the country so far.