Diner leaves $1,000 tip at Shockoe Slip restaurant

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - The Angry Mussels was visited by a diner who paid $1,000 Monday night on an $80 bill.

Gary Smith was working Monday night at the Angry Mussels in Shockoe Slip when a perfect stranger ordered a steak and a couple glasses of wine.

"He seemed like a nice gentleman, he paid for it, and I took the check back to the register, I saw the amount of the tip, I thought it basically was a joke. I went back to the gentleman and said ‘Sir, you left a very large tip,’ he says ‘I know,’” said Smith.

The man was in town, traveling from Chicago. He signed the bill, leaving a simple note at the bottom, complementing the service, and a note to the side, calling it a gift from God.

“I’ve heard stories about people in diners or waitresses getting these large tips, and I said ‘wow. It happened to me.' I never thought it would happen to me,” he said.

Gary, like most employees in the service industry, has had a tough year.

“I know for me, personally, it’s been difficult as an hourly wage person, the pandemic has certainly had a detrimental effect on my income,” said Smith. “It made me feel good that there are some folks out there who are mindful of the plight of the small percentage of us who are going through.”

The Angry Mussels has only been open for about a year, so it is relatively new to the area. They were only open for a few months before the pandemic hit, then they closed for a while, and are now back open.

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