ESTES PARK, Colorado (CNN) – After a full breakfast at a Colorado restaurant, a generous customer left employees a $ 1,400 tip and a message that read “COVID sucks!”
Notchtop Bakery & Cafe owner Nailya Khametvalieva says the patron, who she identified only as David, entered her Estes Park eatery on Wednesday for some eggs, bacon, sausage and biscuits and gravy.
When it came time to pay the $ 20.04 check, David asked his server how many people were working that day.
He eventually left the $ 1,400 tip with instructions to give each of the seven employees $ 200.
“That really brought tears to all servers [and] cooks – you know, no one ever thinks about cooks – the cooks were just so surprised and shocked. We were all shocked, “said Khametvalieva.” We thanked him, but I felt like we were not doing enough. “
She said David lives nearby, but it was only the second time he’d been to the restaurant.
Gloria Fuentes both times waited for David to come in and told CNN partner KMGH she couldn’t believe it when she saw the bill.
“I was like, ‘Oh my God, am I dreaming or what’s going on?’” Fuentes told KMGH.
Another server told KMGH that the money would be of great help to her family.
“It’s $ 200 for me, but it’s also $ 200 for my husband. It’s also $ 200 for my daughters, for things we needed to make it,” said Jayme Johnson.
Khametvalieva never closed the restaurant she has run for nearly 10 years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but said things were tough. Last year’s wildfires also added to the challenge.
She said she was able to give hours to all of her employees and also received a PPP loan.
Estes Park is about 70 miles outside of Denver, and Khametvalieva says it does a lot of business for out-of-state tourists in the summer.
She said many of those customers bought gift certificates to support the restaurant because they couldn’t come in person.
“I wanted to say thank you to everyone who really has a feeling for small businesses and people who have been so grateful and nice and nice. They have big hearts, especially David,” she said.
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