Updated on December 23, 2020 at 7:17 pm
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It’s been a difficult year, especially for everyone in the restaurant industry. But a Christmas miracle came a few days early for one waitress in Dover, New Hampshire.
Arianna Gutierrez 2020 has been tough for a thousand different reasons
“She’s been struggling just like most of us, but a little bit more,” said Nikki Basham, a manager at 2 Home Cooks.
“We shut down in March, we were doing online takeout, and that cut back a lot,” Basham explained.
Gutierrez works hard to provide for her 5-year-old daughter Ryleigh, but amid the pandemic, there were times it felt impossible.
DOVER Like many restaurant employees across the country, 2 Home Cooks server Arianna Gutierrez says 2020 has brought a series of struggles as she’s done her best to provide for her 5-year-old daughter Ryleigh.
So, when a kind group of strangers left her a $953 tip with their breakfast bill Saturday as a Christmas surprise, the 22-year-old single mother says she was shaking because she was so overjoyed and overwhelmed at the “very beautiful” and “generous” gesture.
“I’m so thankful. Nobody has ever . I didn’t . there are people out there that care,” Gutierrez said while searching for words to convey the impact of the tip Monday. “There are people out there that understand and want to help, and it’s amazing they’re actually in Dover and around me.
A group of 14 people left the tip around 9:30 a.m. Saturday on a $232 bill. The breakfast and lunch eatery shared an image of the tip a large stack of $100, $50 and $20 bills on its Facebook page later that afternoon.
The group of people who left the tip would like to remain completely anonymous, a representative of the group told Foster’s Daily Democrat.
The representative said this is the second year they’ve selected a local server to surprise with a large Christmas tip, specifically doing so to directly help a single mother who might not otherwise be able to afford Christmas on their own.