Wisconsin waitress given $1,000 tip by Christmas customer

Early morning visitor serves up a surprise at diner

Callie Blue says she will use the tip money for horse feed. Photo: Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County

A Wisconsin waitress was given a Christmas morning surprise by a customer — a $1,000 tip.

Callie Blue was waiting tables at Gus's Diner in Sun Prairie, just outside Madison, at 6am on Sunday when she started chatting with one of the few customers in the restaurant at that hour, the Wisconsin State Journal reported. He left her a $1,000 tip.

The customer was Michael Johnson, president and chief executive of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County. He told the newspaper he was looking for people in need as part of the club’s Pay It Forward campaign. Two donors had given about $5,000 for tip money.

He had been sent an email about Ms Blue and visited the diner to measure her customer service skills and demeanour.

He was impressed enough to pull $1,000 from the $5,000 tip money. He said about 12 servers got big tips as part of the campaign but Ms Blue got the biggest one because it was Christmas morning and she was the last recipient.

Ms Blue said the tip was amazing and that she would use it to buy food for her four horses.

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