Linn County Man Surprises Local Server With $1,300 Tip [WATCH]

What is the old holiday saying? It is better to give than to receive? A Linn County man is proving that to be true thanks to some help from fellow Eastern Iowans.

CBS2 reports that Michael Ott from Ely, Iowa has started an annual tradition of recognizing an amazing local server. Last year using his Venmo account and asking for donations on X and Facebook Ott raised $680 that was given to an area server. This year, Ott had bigger goals. He wanted to raise over $1,000 and donate it right before Christmas.

This year, the Cheddar's restaurant near Lindale Mall in Cedar Rapids was chosen as the random restaurant where the huge tip would be left according to CBS2. Thanks to some generous donations, Ott was able to make Christmas very bright for this deserving waitress!

Thanks to Michael and over 100 donations from his followers, the server got an amazing tip of $1,370. I can't imagine what it would feel like to experience such a kind gesture. Servers depend on tips to get by and deserve far more respect than they often get.

Kudos again to Michael Ott and anyone who donated to make this amazing Christmas gift become a reality. Let it be an example of how simple it can be to bring joy to someone's life you've never met before.

Get our free mobile app