The restaurant industry is one of the hardest-hit by COVID-19 and no one’s felt the financial pinch more than the servers who earn their livelihoods when people dine out.
Unsurprisingly, waiter Peter Murray was eager to get back at work at Lucille’s Smokehouse—a longtime local favorite in Concord, California—hoping to make up for lost time and wages.
Unbeknownst to him, fate was about to hand him a once-in-a-lifetime gratuity.
Enter Brian Murphy—a.k.a. DJ Murph—a restaurant fan participating in a viral “Venmo Challenge.” The objective was to collect micro-donations via social media—as little as 50 cents—to reach a preset goal. Once the goal is reached, the patron passes the money along to a worthy server in the form of a tip.
When Murphy hit his $1,000 benchmark he chose Lucille’s, recently re-opened after a three-month pandemic-related hiatus, as the place to pay his goodwill forward.
Peter, randomly assigned to wait on Murphy’s table, was stunned by the generous gesture, and was practically speechless as Murphy counted out the tip to the cheers of restaurant-goers and thrilled members of Lucille’s staff.
Later, after he’d had time to digest his amazing luck, an extremely thankful Peter was able to reflect on his good fortune. In an interview with KPIX 5, he said the unexpected windfall was something of a godsend.
“Now I don’t have to worry about paying rent next month,” Peter said, “and I can put some money aside… Words can’t describe how grateful I am for what Brian, DJ Murph did for me… I’m just so grateful.”
But Murphy’s generosity didn’t stop there. Having managed to raise $400 more than his original goal, the big-hearted DJ gifted the balance of his challenge earnings to the restaurant host.
Thrilled by the outcome, Murphy has already begun another challenge and plans to surprise other unsuspecting servers with over-the-top tips each time he reaches his $1,000 goal.
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That said, while very few of us have the means to tip $1,000 after a meal, when and if you do decide to dine out one of these days, we hope you’ll remember to tip your server generously. It just might make their day.
(WATCH the sweet Venmo moment below.)
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