Customer leaves $2,500 bar tip to help staff through emergency shutdown

Employment in the restaurant and bar sector is looking precarious to say the least right now, as several states impose measures ranging from reducing seating to total shutdown, in an effort to check the spread of coronavirus.

But amidst the panic and fear engendered by the current global health crisis, it’s important to remember that the worst of times can also bring out the best in people.

Certainly, staff at a bar in Columbus, Ohio, will be feeling a little better about things after one loyal customer stepped up to the plate, put his money where his mouth was, and showed them how much he cared.

The generous man stunned servers at the Coaches Bar and Grill on Bethel Road with a whopping $2,500 tip on a $30 bill, just hours before a statewide shutdown of Ohio bars and restaurants began at 9pm on Sunday.

The regular, who wishes to stay anonymous, wanted to do what he could to help staff through the current uncertainty,  Columbus news station WCMH reports.

“It brought some of them to tears, they are going to split it, 13 ways and it’s going to help them and we are a family and we will get through it together,” said Coaches employee Benny Leonard.

Representatives of the establishment took to Twitter to express their appreciation, writing “When the going gets tough, the tough stay loyal.”

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has ordered all bars and restaurants in the state to close their dining rooms until further notice. Those with take-out and delivery options are allowed to continue operating those services for now.