Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Tips for Jesus: World's most generous diners kick start 2015 with $2,000 tip

Anonymous diners also left a $11,000 tip two days after Christmas

Heather Saul
Tuesday 06 January 2015 15:52 GMT
Comments
The most recent 'Tip for Jesus' windfall
The most recent 'Tip for Jesus' windfall

A group of anonymous diners who regularly leave restaurant staff stunned by their generous tips kicked off 2015 by handing one waiter $2,000 (£1,300).

Photos of credit card receipts with “Tips for Jesus” scribbled alongside generous gratuities are regularly uploaded onto a dedicated Instagram account.

The Tips for Jesus group, which reportedly has around ten members, has left huge windfalls across states in the US and Mexico.

The most recent was left to waiters and waitresses at the Tacolicious Valencia Street diner in San Francisco on 2 January.

A staff member there told SF Gate the customer in question was a regular: “He comes in here all the time and he’s amazing. Amazing to the staff.”

Another $11,000 (£7,200) 'tip for Jesus' was handed to restaurant employees in Arizona two days after Christmas.

The Tips for Jesus account, which has 86,000 followers, describes itself as “doing the Lord’s work, one tip at a time”.

Despite the religious connotations, the leader of the group told San Franciso Magazine in February 2014 that the movement he started in September 2013 was originally intended to be agnostic.

He claimed he had been "fortunate in life" and said it was simply about "making the pie bigger".

“It’s just about helping people out,” he told the magazine. “It’s not hard to give back. When justified by great service, magnanimous gratuities are achievable by everyone — no excuses.”

There has been fervent speculation over the identity of the leader who has also posted pictured of himself with ecstatic restaurant staff.

However, his name has never been revealed by the press.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in