YORK COUNTY, Pa. — A York County waitress was on the receiving end of a $1,300 tip and the act of kindness has quickly gone viral.
The waitress received the extremely generous tip for her service at Stonybrook Family Restaurant in Springettsbury Township and the video has since garnered more than 650,000 likes on TikTok.
The tipster is Jamie Carmen of York County. He says that he was inspired by a previous act of kindness he saw.
"Last year, I saw something on social media where a group of people went for breakfast or lunch and they all brought $100 to tip the waitress. That inspired me," he told FOX43.
Carmen took a similar approach, pooling together some money with his friends and going out to eat, where they were waited on by Ashley Barrett.
"Ashley definitely was deserving and she was very thankful," said Carmen. "She's a single mom with another baby on the way. She needs wrist surgery after having the baby, so she's going to be out of work. It was meant to be."
Of the $1,300, $300 went to the cook staff while Barrett kept the rest.
The viral video is inspiring others to spread their own holiday cheer.
"I've had several friends message me saying they've helped other people since [the tip], so it's snowballing in the right way," said Carmen.
He says the act of generosity is part of a larger message to spread kindness throughout the community.
"It doesn't have to be $1,300," he said. "It could be opening a door, making small talk with someone, just be[ing] nice."