An anonymous customer has been leaving hefty tips at various restaurants and bars nationwide since September.
But hefty is an understatement in this case. Servers and bartenders from Los Angeles, to Chicago, to Ann Arbor, Mich. have recently received from $500 to $10,000 from a patron who signs receipts, "Tips for Jesus."
An Instagram account has been created for @tipsforjesus, but according to Business Insider, it's still unclear whether there is just one person tipping madly or if an entire crew is organizing the tipping.
One receipt from the University of Notre Dame's campus restaurant Legends of Notre Dame bears the message, "Fight on!" A resident who told Gawker they were a server at the restaurant confirmed that the tipper (or tippers) visited the restaurant to watch the USC game.
"These men were at Notre Dame to see the USC vs. Notre Dame game," the person, whose identity was withheld, stated. "They came from California in which one was a USC fan."
Some suspicions have been raised concerning the validity of the tips. Legends server Ashley Rust told the South Bend Tribune that one tipper returned and left another $5,000 tip.
"We were all looking at this like, is this a joke?" Rust told the Tribune. "We were all super shocked and we didn't want to get too excited because we hadn't ever seen a tip like this."
But according to one server whose $10,000 tip didn't come through, upon notifying Tips for Jesus via Instagram, the patron replied with a promise to make sure the charge was finalized. Tips for Jesus later posted a photo of the American Express statement to prove it, Gawker reported.
