Customer Leaves $500 Tip At Waltham Restaurant

WALTHAM, MA — It's that time of year again when hearts feel a little warmer and generous gestures get a little bigger. This weekend, the staff at one Moody Street restaurant had to do a double take because of the size of the tip someone left.

"That was definitely a first, it was something very special," said Shannon Rossi, general manager of In A Pickle restaurant.

At the end of their meal, a man and his companion asked the server to give them a running start before she opened the tip. When they left, the server found a bright red envelope that read "Merry Christmas. Please divide this between the waitstaff, hostess, cooks, dishwasher and bartender on today's shift, 12-20-20."

Inside was a Christmas card and five $100 bills.

"It was very sweet. It was very, very kind," said Rossi, who added that no one recognized the couple. "[But] he brought tons of joy to the In A Pickle staff."

Holiday gestures like these seem common in the movies — but amid the pandemic, as restaurants and workers struggle to stay afloat, the gesture felt special.

It made the staff feel seen, with the card addressed to every member of the staff, she said.

"That's what made it so kind, for someone to go out of their way to notice how many pieces make a restaurant run," she said.

On Monday, the man called the restaurant and asked if anything magical had happened the day before.

"It caught me off guard," said Rossi, who said she and the staff wanted to thank the man for making their day.

He declined to give his name, saying he just wanted to ensure the card served its purpose.

Rossi said the staff was overjoyed by the kind gesture.

"The greater message that was delivered is that even in tough times, something so kind can go very, very far," she said.

In A Pickle, the breakfast-and-lunch restaurant on the corner of Moody and Crescent streets, has had a rough go, too. After attempting takeout in March at the beginning of the pandemic, the restaurant closed for several months as the owner tried to pivot. By June 17, the city closed Moody Street, and the restaurant was one that took advantage of outdoor seating. That ended earlier this month, but the restaurant is still open for in-person diners as well as takeout.

According to the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, some 4,000 restaurants — or 25 percent of those across the state — have closed since March, and that number is expected to grow throughout the winter as restaurants have had to cut back on outdoor seating and a second wave of the virus hits the region.

Remember this: Customer Leaves $700 Tip At Waltham Restaurant

Read more about the restaurant amid COVID: Waltham's 'In A Pickle' Closes, Aids Staff During Pandemic ...

Jenna Fisher is a news reporter for Patch. Got a tip? She can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna). Have a something you'd like posted on the Patch? Here's how.