DO GOODER

Anonymous customerleaves $16,000 tip at N.H. restaurant

LONDONDERRY,N.H. (AP) — A customer who ordered a couple of chili dogs, fried pickle chipsand drinks at a New Hampshire restaurant left a big tip — $16,000.

The staffdidn’t notice at first, Mike Zarella, owner of the Stumble Inn Bar and Grill inLondonderry, toldWMUR-TV. The tab was $37.93 before the tip.“It was on the creditcard statement, they put it down next to the register and he said three times,‘Don’t spend it all in one place.’” He said one staffer then flipped it overand looked, “and she’s like, ‘Oh my god, are you serious?’ And he said, ’I wantyou to have it, you guys work hard.’”Zarella thought it was a mistake, but thebar manager talked to the customer, who said it wasn’t. He also wished toremain anonymous.The restaurant closed for a few months during the pandemic andadjusted with take-out orders and outdoor dining.

The crew plannedto pay it forward to their fellow employees.

“The back of the house works really hard, the kitchen, they’regiving them a big tip out of that, which is very generous of them to do,”Zarella said.

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