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Restaurant staff in shock after mystery diners ate $500 worth of steak and pasta before leaving college student waitress a $10,000 tip, but here’s why she didn’t keep it all
- A waitress received a $10,000 tip at a Melbourne restaurant
- She told the tipster that Gilsons South Yarra staff shared tips
- She insisted that she received 70 percent of the money.
A waitress working at a trendy restaurant downtown was tipped a staggering $10,000 by a group of diners who feasted on steak and pasta.
Lauren, was the head waitress at a table of four at Gilson’s in South Yarra, Melbourne on Saturday afternoon, and they were so impressed that the businessman offered the huge sum when they paid for the $500 meal.
The shocked college student explained to the group that the staff shares tips among the restaurant’s 23 employees, however the man paying said he would only leave a tip if she got 70 percent, or $7,000.
Other staff said they burst into tears when they realized how much they had given them, after checking that they understood what they were getting.
“I made them say the number out loud because I thought ‘what if I got too excited and stupidly read an extra zero or something? herald sun.
Lauren, a Melbourne student, was offered a whopping $10,000 tip while working as a waitress, but insisted some of the money should go to her colleagues. Ended up with $7000
Lauren, was the head waitress at a table of four at Gilson’s in South Yarra, Melbourne on Saturday afternoon, and they were so impressed that the businessman offered the huge sum when they paid for the $500 meal.
Their bargaining meant that the rest of the staff received $3,000 to share, $136 each.
Gilson’s is a trendy Italian restaurant frequented by social media models, influencers, and reality TV stars.
Restaurant staff were “in shock” for half an hour after the group left, said another waitress who worked Saturday, also named Lauren.
“Lauren is a great bartender and it’s a wealthy area, that has to be taken into account,” she said.
‘We have clients with high purchasing power and restaurants with hats next door. And the tipper was a successful businessman.
She said that the table that was tipped so extravagantly was a walk-in group and not regular customers.
They spent a total of $500 on steak and pasta and a drink each.
Lauren, who received the large tip, cut hours from part-time at the restaurant after receiving the cash, so she could spend more time on her studies, the staff said.
She described the Gilsons service staff as “a very close family” where all staff would want to share at least some of their advice.
Lauren admitted that she had to ask the businessman to repeat the advice out loud in case she misheard it.
Restaurant staff were ‘in shock’ for half an hour after the big dump truck left
Gilsons owner Jamie McBride was delighted to see his staff gain additional recognition.
“(It’s) very nice, it makes the team feel really special when they’re recognized, especially when nobody expects that,” he said.
The notice produced good news for Mr. McBride, who in 2021 was fined $204,000 for underpaying staff.
A Fair Labor Investigation found that Gilson paid less than $53,850 to vulnerable international visa holders in six months, from December 2017 to July 2018.