Man leaves a generous $3,000 tip on a $13 food bill. Then, the restaurant decided to sue him

A generous tip left at a Pennsylvania pizza restaurant caused a stir for all the wrong reasons. In 2022, a generous customer left a hefty $3,000 tip for a server at Alfredo's Pizza Cafe, which was famously mentioned in the hit comedy series “The Office." Later on, the patron decided to take the tip back, which led to the Scranton restaurant to take him to court. The manager of the restaurant spoke with local news station WNEP 16 News at the time, sharing the details of the not-so-heartwarming story. 

Tips for Jesus 

A customer named Eric Smith walked into Alfredo’s Pizza in Scranton for lunch in 2022. The customer ordered only a plate of stromboli, and once the bill of $13 arrived, he left a generous tip of $3,000 for the waitress Mariana Lambert.

The man was reportedly influenced by the social media trend called “Tips For Jesus.” The movement, which started in 2013, encouraged people to tip more in the name of god. It first went viral when a man who tipped over $1,000 documented his good deeds on social media to inspire others.

In this case, the workers and the manager initially believed that the massive tip was a mistake. So they double-checked with Smith if he had intentionally left the gratuity and meant to tip so much. 

Naturally, the server was floored by the seemingly magnanimous gesture, especially since restaurants were still recovering from the impact of COVID-19 closures at the time. “It really meant a lot to me because everyone’s going through stuff,” Lambert told WNEP 16 News. “It really touched my heart. I still can’t believe it. I’m still in shock,” she added. 

The generosity didn't last

While the staffers at the pizza restaurant were ecstatic after the credit card payment went through on their machine, their joy wasn't going to last long. 

Nearly three months later, the restaurant received a document in the mail that disputed the charge for the tip left by Smith. Zachary Jacobson, manager of Alfredo’s Pizza Cafe, told WNEP that the restaurant had already paid Lambert the gratuity, and they didn't have the $3,000 to return.

Then the restaurant reached out to Smith on Facebook to clarify the situation hoping that it was all a misunderstanding. However, the manager said that the customer stopped replying to their messages on the social media platform.

“We thought somebody was actually trying to do a good thing,” Jacobson said in the interview.  In the end, the restaurant was left with no discourse but to take Smith to court with the goal of legitimizing the $3,000 tip. 

Jacobson explained that they initially filed charges through the magistrate's office as they were out of money. The official then told them to sue and that is what the restaurant did. At the time of writing, no update on the lawsuit has been shared by the restaurant. 

The manager at the time had expressed that there was enough proof for them to get a judge to rule in their favor. However, the incident hurt their feelings about something positive happening.