Restaurant sues customer after he left £2,300 tip on a £10 meal

As anyone who has worked in the hospitality industry will tell you, it's all about the tips.

Especially if you live in the US with their almost annoyingly high tipping rules.

But as a waiter, there's always this fantasy that, one day, a very generous person with too much money will just give you some.

In the case of Alfredo’s Cafe in Scranton, Pennsylvania, this actually happened.

Watch below:

Customer Eric Smith decided to leave a mega $3,000 (£2,300) tip for a $13 (£10) meal and the restaurant reacted in a way you would pretty much expect.

Server Mariana Lambert said: "It really meant a lot to me because everyone's going through stuff. It really touched my heart. I still can't believe it. I'm still in shock."

Alfredo’s were stunned by the figure and went to check that Smith hadn't left the money by accident.

Matt Martini, who worked for the eatery, confronted the high tipper and asked him to provide some additional ID.

The waitress become emotional after seeing the tip. (WNEP)

After showing his credentials, they noticed that Smith left a strange note on the cheque, which read: "Tips for Jesus."

Apparently, this was all part of a trend on social media and Smith decided to get involved.

However, what was initially thought of as a good deed soon turned into a threatening letter as the customer wrote in, disputing the tip.

Zachary Jacobson, who also worked at the cafe, said: "We thought somebody was actually trying to do a good thing. And then now we are, what, three months later? Not even, and there's nothing. There's nothing to show for it at this point."

So because the restaurant allowed Lambert to take the £2,300, they were then forced to give Smith the money back from their own pockets.

It didn't take long for the situation to change. (WNEP)

Amid failed attempts to reason with Smith over Facebook, Alfredo's had no choice but to file a civil lawsuit against him.

Jacobson explained: "Unfortunately, we had to file charges through the magistrate's office because now we're just out of this money at this point.

"And he told us to sue him. So that's what we're going to end up doing, I guess."

As this was happening, the local community decided to set up a GoFundMe for the restaurant to help them raise some funds.

Though the fundraiser was soon shut down because it seems that Alfredo's were not willing to take any cash.

LADbible has contacted Alfredo's Cafe for comment.