Why This Couple Tipped Their Server $100 For Terrible Service

"Always always remember where you came from." The couple spoke to BuzzFeed News about the reason for their generous tip.

On Sept. 27, Iowa couple Makenzie and Steven Schultz endured terribly slow service at the Kazoku Sushi restaurant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

On Facebook, Makenzie wrote that the server took 20 minutes to get them water, 40 minutes for an appetizer, and more than an hour to get their entree.

Instead of tipping their server as little as possible, the couple said they left him a $100 tip for a meal worth $66.

Makenzie shared the receipt on her Facebook page, along with the heartwarming reason for their generous tip.

facebook.com

Here's the full post:

So here's the deal. Our service tonight sucked. Took 20 minutes to get water, 40 minutes for an appetizer and over an hour for our entree. People all around us were making fun of the restaurant & how bad the service was. Yeah, it was pretty terrible. But, it was very obvious that the issue was being short staffed, not the server. He was running around like crazy and never acted annoyed with any table. At one point we counted he had 12 tables plus the bar. More than any one person could handle! As I sat there and watched him run back & forth and apologize for the wait, I said to Steven... Wow, this used to be us. Waiting tables. I don't miss it at all and I never loved that job. I did it for the tips. Steven and I agreed it would feel good to make this guys night when he would probably be getting minimal to no tips due to slow service. We walked out before he saw this and I'm not posting this for a pat on the back. I'm just sharing this as a friendly reminder to think of the entire situation, before you judge. And always always always remember where you came from.

The post went super viral, garnering over a million likes and more than 150,000 shares on Facebook alone.

Makenzie, a distributor for It Works Global, a skincare and nutrition company, told BuzzFeed News she never expected such a massive response to her post because there have been other viral stories about bigger tips.

What distinguishes theirs is that the couple left a huge tip for horrible service because "we saw the whole picture," Makenzie said in a phone call.

"People have been in that situation where it's not really the server's fault. They realized they could have been more compassionate to a server who they might have tipped poorly," she said.

Makenzie said they both knew what the server was going through because she and Steve met eight years ago while they were both working as servers at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurant.

The manager of the restaurant confirmed to BuzzFeed News that his employee, Kyle H., was the tip's recipient.

The manager said Kyle was a very good employee and a hard worker but was unfortunately caught on a busy day.

He said both of them were very surprised at the couple's generous tip and how viral the story has gone.

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