CeCe Bruce, a full-time student and part-time waitress at a Steak 'n Shake in Indiana, was shocked when one of her regular customers left her a $446 tip on a $6 bill Wednesday.
Bruce, who has worked at the Indianapolis restaurant for two years, didn’t realize quite how much gratuity Miss Jo, a regular, had left her on the $5.97 check.
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"At first I thought, '$46?' And I said, 'Miss Jo, that's really generous!'" Bruce told Indianapolis NBC affiliate WTHR. "When I looked again, I said 'Oh my gosh Miss Jo, I'm not taking that!' And she said, 'Yes, you're taking it' and I said no and she said 'You need to take it.'"
Greer Gooley, Bruce's general manager, said the waitress is worth the massive gratuity.
"She stays late, comes in early. Whenever we need her, she's here. So she deserves it more than anyone," Gooley told local station WISH. "It just lets servers know that you work hard and it does pay off. There are people out there that [if] you do your job people reward you for it."
Bruce said she plans to use the generous tip to help pay bills.
"She's a really sweet lady and she didn't want any gracious gratitude. She signed the receipt and walked out the door," Bruce said. "Miss Jo… I love you and thank you very much!"
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Bruce's story is a welcome escape from recent trend of rude customer receipt messages. Earlier this year, an Applebee's waitress automatically included an 18 percent gratuity on a bill that was part of a larger table of 20 people. One of the patrons, who claimed to be a pastor, scribbled,
"I give God 10%. Why do you get 18?" The customer then wrote "Pastor" above their signature, and an emphatic "0" where the additional tip would be.
In November, another photo made the rounds, which showed a slip for a $138.35 bill with "single mom, sorry" written in under the tip.
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