A waitress was overwhelmed by the generosity of a customer who left her a large $36 tip, but it was only later she realised the true significance of the gesture.
The unidentified woman, who works at Mac's Grub Shack in Tennessee, US, found a note scribbled on the back of the tipper's receipt which read:
"Today is my brother’s b-day. He would have been 36 today. Every year I go eat his favorite meal (hot dogs) and tip the waitress his age. Happy B-Day Wes."
Moved by the act, the waitress shared a photo of message on Reddit with the caption: "This guy sat in my section tonight and left a note on the back of his receipt."
One Reddit user - who is obviously used to the cynical nature of some regular commenters - decided to preempt anyone questioning whether the gesture was indeed generous or just an excuse for leaving a tip that was less than the 15-20% that is usual in America.
The adept photo sleuth quickly flipped the image and increased the contrast so that it is possible to make out how much the man had spent on his meal.
The bill came to $29.50 which means that the $36 dollar tip was more than 100% of the cost of his meal.
With their faith in the matter restored, the significance of the sweet gesture resonated with the Reddit community.
"Happy birthday Wes! This was so absolutely heartwarming and made me smile that someone would do this. It rekindles my hope for people as a whole," wrote one commenter.