Coronavirus Kindess: Florida Mystery Diner Leaves $10,000 Tip At Naples Restaurant
NAPLES (CBSMiami/AP) — One day before a southwest Florida restaurant had to lay off 20 workers because the dining room was shutdown amid the coronavirus pandemic, a mystery diner left a $10,000 tip.
The man's generosity meant 20 staffers at the Skillets restaurant in Naples each got an extra $500 just before they were laid off.
Ross Edlund, who owns nine restaurants, says the man who handed the stack of cash to a manager is a regular customer, and he thinks his name might be Bill or Bob. He says the man likes to eat on the patio on weekdays and on weekends he often brings his family for brunch. They'd like to thank him.
"It's funny because we have regulars who have been coming in forever, and they're our friends but we don't always know their names. We know their faces, their orders, their favorite tables, but we don't know exactly who they are," Edlund told the Naples Daily News.
Edlund was forced to lay off 90% of his 200 employees over the past week. He's keeping some of his restaurants open with skeleton crews preparing take-out services.
The $10,000 tip was the most benevolent act his workers have seen, but Edlund says it's not the only one. He said many servers received big tips last week and they continue to get them as regular customers pick up curbside orders.
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(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
