Restaurant suing customer who left £2,628 tip on £11 bill but changed his mind

A restaurant is taking a customer to court after they left a huge tip and then later changed their mind. The diner left an enormous $3,000 (£2,628) tip on their bill, which cost just $13 (£11).

Waitress Mariana Lambert, who works at Alfredo’s Cafe in Scranton, Pennsylvania, was thrilled to be given the huge tip. Eric Smith, the man who left the gratuity, told her he has been inspired by a movement called “tips for Jesus”.

At the time Mariana said: “It really meant a lot to me because everyone’s going through stuff. It really touched my heart. I still can’t believe it. I’m still in shock.”

However, Mr. Smith later changed his mind, which Mariana learned when he sent a letter to the business to claim the money back.

The restaurant, though, had already processed the payment and given the money to Mariana. The cafe now says it is taking him to court to recoup the costs.

Alfredo’s Café manager Zachary Jacobson has spoken about his disappointment. He said: “We thought somebody was actually trying to do a good thing. And then now we are, what, three months later? Not even, and there’s nothing. There’s nothing to show for it at this point.”

Tips for Jesus is the brainchild of an anonymous man who is famous for leaving large tips with the message on the receipt, claiming he is doing “the Lord’s work”.

The mysterious man has said: “The whole Tips for Jesus ‘movement’ was created as something of a guerrilla effort to encourage more people of means to give back—to foster a kind of ad hoc charity culture attractive to a generation that may be turned off by traditional philanthropy.

“Tipping $100 on a $3.99 Oreo Blender Blaster at a Sunset Boulevard Denny’s may lack some of the gravitas of, say, Marc Benioff’s endowment of a children’s hospital—but it’s direct, instantly gratifying, and relatively easy….”