Photo: Instagram
Derulo's generous tip changed his server's life.
By Alexandra Blogier — Written on Mar 14, 2023
Jason Derulo made a server's night, and his entire semester, when his generous tip was enough to cover the restaurant employee's college tuition for the next couple of months.
Derulo was in Omaha, Nebraska as part of his latest business venture, launched a new women’s volleyball franchise in the state. TMZ Sports reported that Derulo's team is set to play in the Pro Volleyball Federation, a development that has him feeling "excited because volleyball is on a crazy trajectory."
Derulo and his family recently spent time in Omaha, Nebraska, purportedly due to his new volleyball team, and dined at Charleston’s Restaurant while he was there.
Derulo's server was a young college student named Jordan Schaffer, who took to TikTok with a life-changing announcement, all thanks to the singer.
Jason Derulo tip the Omaha restaurant server $5,000.
The video shows Derulo, who is sitting with a group that includes his 1-year-old son and the child's mom, Jena Frumes, as he adds his tip to the restaurant bill.
Upon seeing the amount, Schaffer is incredulous as he shows off a copy of the bill, which came out to $795.99. Derulo’s $5000 tip was 628% of his total bill.
“Serving Jason Derulo and his family is something I’ll never forget,” Schaffer captioned his post. “I cannot say thank you enough.”
After Schaffer received the generous tip, he approached Derulo’s table to thank him. “Wow,” Schaffer said as he stands at the head of the table. “My heart’s beating really fast.”
“You guys are really awesome,” Derulo responded.
The $5,000 tip that Derulo left for Schaffer changed his life by making his college tuition more affordable.
“I can’t say thank you enough,” Schaffer reiterated. “I hope you and your family have a wonderful time in Omaha, and I hope you see us again.”
Derulo’s many fans commented on Schaffer’s post. One person stated, “I liked him before, now I love him for his kind heart.”
One person left a story of their own encounter with Derulo’s generosity, commenting that “one time, I saw him in front of me at a Starbucks drive-thru. I yelled out and told him I loved his music… I was told he paid for my drink!”
Derulo certainly seems to take care of his fans, in ways both big and small. The 33-year-old performer even took the time to comment on Schaffer’s TikTok post, telling Schaffer, “You seem like a great person. Thank you for taking such great care of our fam. Keep spreading the love.”
Schaffer responded by saying, “I’ll be telling this crazy story the rest of my life.”
Derulo reposted Schaffer’s TikTok video to his own account, where he has over 57 million followers. He captioned his post with the phrase, “Blessed to be a blessing.”
With the well-worn knowledge of how hard it is to make ends meet in the service industry, especially in a post-pandemic society, Derulo certainly went above and beyond, showing his generosity and warmth.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers celebrity gossip, pop culture analysis and all things to do with the entertainment industry.