Customer Makes Waitress' Day with $500 Tip

When the Cracker Barrel waitress saw customer Summer Davis coming toward her with the receipt, at first she thought she had done something wrong.

She was apologetic and nervous, until she looked down and saw it—a $500 tip.

“She started crying, hugging me, and kissing my face,” Davis said. “She was extremely thankful.”

Inspired by the response to a previous year’s $200 tip she left a waitress at Sophia’s House of Pancakes, Oak Forest resident Davis and her husband Bryan set out to dine at a restaurant Wednesday evening. With no destination in mind, Bryan suggested they would go ”where God leads.” Their 3-year-old son Nolan suggested “The Barrel,” or Cracker Barrel in Tinley Park—somewhere they had never eaten as a family.

Their waitress Charlotte was attentive, “a very good server,” and very patient with their children Nolan and 5-year-old daughter Hope. She seemed the perfect fit for Davis’ gift.

“I went up to pay the bill and the lady that was ringing me up, thought I meant $5, instead of $500,” Davis said. ”I asked if it was possible to do it, I told her that I’ve been very blessed, and God had put it in our hearts to bless someone else.

“Her response was that Charlotte is an exceptional person, and she truly is deserving.”

Davis has made a habit of giving back on a monthly basis, and felt especially compelled to help this holiday season. Now a successful Young Living consultant, she can easily recall Dec. 8, 2010—the day her daughter Hope was born. She and Bryan were in tight financial times, and couldn’t afford any gifts that year.

She hopes her acts set a positive example for her children.

“I just hope that no matter what, whether it’s a dollar or a $1,000, that they know you can change somebody’s life by doing something nice,” Davis said. “It doesn’t have to be a monetary gift, it can be anything.

“I try to show my kids how to be kind to others, and I hope that it sticks.”