Man Leaves a $3,000 Tip and Then Demands it be Returned One Month Later

by Anthony Losanno
a restaurant with a sign

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If you’re a fan of The Office, you’ll likely remember the scene around “the good pizza” from Alfredo’s Pizza Cafe versus the unpopular Pizza by Alfredo. The restaurant might be the favored pizza of the Scranton crew, but a patron there left a bad taste in the mouth of the server and manager.

Alfredo Tip

In June 2022, server Mariana Lambert was given a $3,000 tip on a $13 check. The diner, Eric Smith, said that he was inspired by the social media trend known as “Tips for Jesus.” He signed off on the generous gratuity and confirmed it was correct when questioned by management.

At the time, Lambert told WNEP 16 News:

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.”

A month later, Alfredo’s manager, Zachary Jacobson, received a letter from Smith saying that he was disputing the charge. The restaurant had already paid the server. Now, the restaurant finding itself suing Smith for the $3,000. News coverage has not been updated since last year and it does not seem that this case has been resolved.

Anthony’s Take: I’m not sure if this guy left the tip for the social media acclaim and then realized he couldn’t afford it or what happened here. It’s messed up to leave a gratuity and then dispute it. He agreed to pay and will hopefully be held to it.

(Image Credits: WNEP 16 News.)

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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.

1 comment

Tech Traveler November 30, 2023 - 10:07 pm

People should just leave normal tips. 15%, 20%, 25% ..whatever and not leave outrageous ones. Restaurants should refuse excessive tips, since something is amiss.

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