A Texas man went the extra mile to make sure a restaurant server received a tip, even though he wasn’t sure he had actually forgotten one.
Roberto José Andrade Franco, an ESPN feature writer from El Paso, Texas, visited Langer’s Deli in Los Angeles in May while on a work trip with two friends.
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After paying the bill and leaving the restaurant, Andrade said he started wondering whether he had remembered to leave a tip.
He estimated he was 75% sure he had tipped his server, but that 25% possibility that he hadn’t kept bothering him.
So, weeks later, Andrade mailed the restaurant $50 in cash, along with a heartfelt letter explaining why.
In the letter, Andrade said his first job was as a busboy and waiter, while his sister also worked as a server. That experience made him understand how important tips can be to restaurant workers.
“That’s why I’m sending these $50 just in case I forgot to include the tip,” Andrade wrote, according to TODAY.
Andrade also provided details about his visit so the restaurant could identify the server who waited on him. He asked that the money be given to her along with his apologies.
The restaurant eventually tracked down the server and gave her the $50.
Langer’s Deli shared Andrade’s letter on social media, calling the gesture something that “made our whole week.” The restaurant said the server was stunned when she received the unexpected tip.
Neither Andrade nor the restaurant could determine whether he had actually left a tip during his original visit.
Andrade told TODAY that his experience working in restaurants influenced his decision.
He said he remembered how much it bothered him when customers didn’t tip or left too little, and he didn’t want to become that kind of customer without realizing it.
The gesture quickly won praise online, with commenters applauding Andrade for going out of his way to make things right even though no one would have known if he hadn’t.
Andrade’s meal at Langer’s Deli was the restaurant’s famous No. 19 sandwich, made with hand-cut pastrami, coleslaw, Russian dressing, Swiss cheese and double-baked rye.