A customer tipped $ 16,000 after ordering hot dogs, French fries, and some drinks

(CNN) – It was a normal Saturday afternoon in New Hampshire when a customer walked into a restaurant, sat at the bar outside, and ordered some food.

About two hot dogs, fries, a Coke, a beer and a shot of tequila later, he paid his $ 37 bill and left, but not before including a $ 16,000 tip.

“Don’t spend it all in one place,” the customer joked with the waitress, according to Mike Zarella, owner of the Stumble Inn Bar & Grill in Londonderry.

The waitress didn’t look at the check or notice the tip until the customer, who asked to remain anonymous, gave her two more clues to take a look at.

When she looked down, she was absolutely shocked. She said, ‘Oh my God, no, that’s crazy,’ ”Zarella told CNN. “The girls came up to him and thanked him. They are very happy.

The tip was left on June 12, but Zarella didn’t share the story until June 21 because he wanted to see if the payment would go through first. Once he did, he shared the kind act on Facebook.

About a week after the customer left the large tip, he began to return regularly and Zarella had a chance to speak with him.

Seven of the eight workers who received the tip, along with owner Michael Zarella at the center.

“I went over and sat with him, thanked him and said, ‘Are you sure? Because we are uncomfortable with this amount of money, ‘”said Zarella. “If he had made a mistake and asked for it back, we would have returned it, but he said, ‘No, I want them to have that money.’

While the eight waitresses working the shift could have split the tip among themselves, they decided to share it with the four staff members in the kitchen as well.

Many of the waitresses, some of whom are single mothers, said they would use their share to take a summer vacation they couldn’t otherwise afford, according to Zarella.

Zarella did not keep any amount of the tip.

Still, because the decision was made to share the money with multiple employees, some people criticized the Stumble Inn Bar & Grill.

«Lately we have been killed on social networks, but the pool tipping It’s common in certain restaurants and it works for us, ”said Zarella. “No matter how big the tip is, they still share it with everyone who works that shift.

“In the end, this is just a happy story and we are grateful for your generosity.”