Florida man leaves $10k tip as restaurants close due to coronavirus

Many restaurant employees have taken a serious financial hit during the coronavirus pandemic. With so many people in self-isolation and cooking at home, the amount of tips that servers and cooks rely on has been drastically reduced.

One man in Naples, Florida, did what he could to change that by leaving a $10,000 tip after his meal in Skillets restaurant, where he is a regular.

The rather large tip was divvied up between the 20 employees at Skillets.

“He said, ‘I want each person in this restaurant to get $500. The manager distributed it to all the employees,” Ross Edlund, Skillets owner, told WKRG-TV.

“People come in and they become family. We know where they are from, we know how many kids they have, and we know what’s going on in their lives. They become a part of our team, a part of our restaurant,” Edlund said.

For employees of Skillets, that tip came just in time as Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, ordered all restaurants to close the following day.

Edlund was forced to lay off  almost 90 percent of his employees over the past couple of weeks due to lockdowns, according to the Naples Daily News.

“We want everyone to stay healthy and well,” he continued. “We believe that what is being done is the correct thing in spite of the fact it’s causing us hardship.”

“Thank you very, very much,” said Edlund, referring to the generous donor who has admirably wished to remain anonymous.

“You are a really decent person, and you have touched our staff deeply.”