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Server surprised with $1,000 tip at west Toledo restaurant

A server at Bubba's 33 in west Toledo received quite a surprise on a bill - a tip of 1,480.6%.

TOLEDO, Ohio — In the crazy year we've all had, it can be hard to find some good news. But that's exactly what one server at a Toledo restaurant got this weekend.

Tatiana Magana said she was at a loss for words when she picked up the check and saw a four-figure tip. 

Magana was working a normal, busy Saturday night shift at Bubba's 33 in west Toledo. She had a few extra tables, but nothing out of the ordinary until one party left something unexpected.

The usual recommendation for a tip is 15%. But this tip? 

Close to 1,500%.

"I went straight to the table to try and bus it down a little, and I picked up the slip and I was just in shock. " she said.

"It was a $67 tab and a $1,000 tip," Magana explained. "Oh, I was shocked. They helped me get ahead a little bit just for the holiday season."

Even Magana's manager, Scott McDole, was at a loss for words.

"She walked up to me, had tears in her eyes and I went 'oh no, not something bad'," he said. "And then she pointed to it and I was in shock... Super, really happy for her. She's a great server and she deserves it."

Magana said she has worked in food service since she was 15 years old. She said she loves the customers and the shutdown earlier this year hit her hard. She didn't collect any unemployment, instead saying she's grateful to her family for helping her get by.

"I have two children. I have a 3-year-old and a 1-and-a-half-year-old," she said. "And oh, it makes me tear up because it was hard, it was really hard."

The pandemic has hit the restaurant industry hard. Workers are afraid of another shutdown. But this act of kindness gives them hope in a year where that's been hard to find.

"I really appreciate what they did, and encourage a lot of people if you can step up and do something nice like that for your servers, they work very hard," McDole said.

"Just proves there's still a lot of good people out there," Magana said. "And if you get blessed like that, just pay it forward a little bit, I've always been told karma is a good thing to have behind you."

It's a generous gift right in time for the season of giving.

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