Community Corner
‘A Very Generous Act’: $1,000 Tip Left At Waretown Restaurant
A $1,000 tip left at Kristy's Casual Dining on Sunday morning - just days before the Christmas holiday - brought a server to tears.
WARETOWN, NJ — Christmas came a bit early for a server at Kristy’s Casual Dining over the weekend. After a table of 10 finished their breakfast on Sunday morning, they left behind something special on the table that brought Tara Sleavin to tears – a $1,000 tip.
The surprise came just days before the Christmas holiday, and at the close of a year that’s been challenging for businesses and workers alike.
“We’re flattered that somebody sat down and decided where they were going to leave this huge generous tip for somebody and they chose our place,” said owner Bob Karamanos. “Tara’s one of the most deserving persons out there. It couldn’t have gone to anybody better.”
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When one of the customers handed Sleavin the check with a $100 bill on top, she assumed the rest of the bills underneath it were singles. When she arrived at the register, she counted 50 and 100 dollar bills — a tip that totaled $1,000.
“She actually almost gave it back. She thought it was a mistake,” Karamanos said. "But it was a very generous act."
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Fighting back tears, Sleavin insisted that her manager check with the group before they left to make sure the amount was right, which resulted in a resounding “yes” from the group.
The group stopped to take a photo in front of the restaurant's Christmas tree and asked Sleavin to join. They each hugged her as Sleavin wiped away her tears.
Sleavin was one of the first servers that Kristy’s Casual Dining hired when the restaurant opened 15 years ago.
“I’ve been serving off and on since I was 16,” Sleavin said Wednesday. “You get $100 in tips here or there, but never like a thousand. I literally broke down crying.”
Sleavin is also a single mother who has worked seven days a week over the last 20 years. In all her years of serving, this is her first time experiencing such generosity.
“I’m still in shock by it. It was totally unexpected,” she said.
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