May 29, (Emirates 24|7): A Washington man shocked the staff of a neighbourhood restaurant earlier this week by leaving a $2,000 tip for a meal of beverage and gumbo he shared with a friend, the proprietor said Wednesday.
The man, described by Blue 44's owner Chris Nardelli as a gumbo-loving regular who lives nearby, left the tip on a $93 bill on Monday night.
“Thank you for the gumbo!” he wrote on the bill after indulging his taste for the Louisiana Creole dish, a specialty of the house.
"It was pretty shocking to say the least," said Nardelli, who also is a chef and bartender at the four-year-old restaurant in the Chevy Chase neighborhood. "It made everybody do a triple take."
The customer, who was not identified, asked on the bill that $1,000 go to chef James Turner and $500 each for Nardelli and waitress Laura Dally.