Kasey Simmons, a 32-year-old Applebee’s server, couldn’t believe his eyes when he looked down at the tip line and saw $500.00 on a $0.37 order. Simmons told ABC affiliate WZZM 13, “They ordered the cheapest thing on the menu of flavored water — it was $0.37, but my tip was about 50,000-percent.” The generous customers left a napkin explaining the massive tip.
It all started the day before when Simmons was shopping at a Kroger grocery store and noticed a woman in distress. She was crying, and Simmons wanted to do something to make her feel better so he paid for her groceries. “It was only $17, but it’s not about the money — it’s about showing someone you care,” he said.
He honestly hadn’t thought about the act of kindness again, until he looked at the napkin. Simmons learned that the woman he had met at Kroger was mourning the third anniversary of her husband’s death. She became overwhelmed and had a breakdown in public, but his small act of kindness uplifted her spirits. The big tip for a flavored water came from the woman’s daughter who wanted to thank the man who helped her mother when so many other people just walked away.