At the Thunder Bay River restaurant in Alpena Michigan, one waitress was served a surprise. This doesn't happen to somebody like me. Danielle Franzoni had just finished serving a couple, the bill was 23 bucks, the tip 2020. 2020 dollars. A note on the receipt read happy new year 2020. Tip challenge. I could feel myself get really weak in my knees because I thought it was a joke. Franzoni is a single mom and recovering addict who was homeless just one year ago.
To know that there's people out there that can look past that and come look at me as a person and as a mom. My life is changing. We've seen a few stories like this lately thanks to the "tip the bill challenge", encouraging diners to leave a hundred percent gratuity. Others have gone much higher. In Georgia a church group gave a server 1200 bucks. Oh my god. And in Wisconsin two waitresses split a four thousand dollar tip. The kind of money that makes a difference. Just ask Danielle. Damn changed my life completely.