Waitress Overjoyed After Tourists Tip $400 On A $200 Meal But Then They Returned With A Different Tip In Mind
She was taken aback by the kind gesture but then they came back once again.
YouTube A waitress experienced a life-changing event after a couple she had been serving decided to tip her an astronomical amount of money.
21-year-old Cayla Chandara had moved from California to Hawaii to attend college, but was unable to continue due to the growing amount of student loans she was forced to take out. In an effort to save and make more money, Chandara was left with no choice but to start working at two restaurants.
Little did she know that decision would be her saving grace.
Chandara was tipped $400 for a $200 meal by a couple she had been serving.
In April 2017, Chandara had been serving an Australian couple who were visiting Hawaii at Noi Thai restaurant in Honolulu. Chandara, who had moved from Santa Rosa, California to Waikiki, struck up a conversation with the couple, who were accompanied by a 10-year-old girl.
While they were speaking, Chandara told them why she had moved to Hawaii, and her situation currently with not being able to be in school because of her money struggles, as well as her dreams and aspirations for the future. However, when she came back to the table to clear it and take the check, she noticed the couple had left her a huge tip of $400 to help her out.
Photo: YouTube
"I had tears streaming down my face. No words at all. I actually went back to work in tears," she told Honolulu Civil Beat. To express her gratitude, Chandara reached out to the couple at the hotel they were staying at and wrote them a letter to personally thank them for their kind gesture.
Chandara left the note at the front desk of the hotel and didn't expect to ever see the couple again. But, she was wrong.
The couple returned and offered to pay off Chandara's student loans so she could go back to school.
Chandara was shocked after the family returned the next night to the restaurant with an even bigger surprise for her. They told Chandara they wanted to give her $10,000 to pay off her student loans and to contribute to her continuing her college education.
"I initially told them I couldn’t take that offer, but they insisted that it would be just as great for them to do it for me,” Chandara told CBS News. "They told me the best way to thank them is to be my best possible self, dream big, and strive for my goals,” she added after asking the couple what she could do to repay them for their thoughtful gift.
Now, Chandara revealed that she will be able to go back to college, where she will be studying liberal arts and business, all thanks to the couple who have chosen to remain anonymous.
“They have truly changed my life, not only financially but in the way I look at things. They are the most beautiful and kind-hearted people I’ve come across and I really look up to them and I can’t wait until they watch me graduate,” she continued.
“Always be genuine. You will get it right back. Good things happen."
Nia Tipton is a Brooklyn-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.