Pregnant Waitress Charges Officer $8.75 For Lunch And His Act Of Kindness Has Her In Tears

Nov 05, 2021 by apost team

When Courtney English of Gloucester Township, New Jersey, was 8-months pregnant back in February 2019, she was working hard as a waitress to save some money. One day a police officer, who wishes to remain anonymous, came to the diner English worked at and overheard the pregnant waitress talk to another customer. After he had paid for his meal, English noticed a note he had written on the bill that blew her mind.

Working as a food server is not the easiest job. Food servers are on their feet for hours at a time. What's more, they earn low wages, and some customers might even stiff them on tips. They also have to deal with irate customers who can be less than polite in their interactions.

This is the story of English, a very pregnant waitress, who was working at a diner in order to save money for her baby.

A police officer came to the diner English was working at and ordered a salad. While he was enjoying his meal, he overheard the waitress telling the customers at the neighboring table that she was 8-months pregnant with her first child and was working hard to save some money. The officer felt compelled to help the pregnant waitress and therefore left her a surprising note on his receipt.

English didn't notice at first but later saw what the officer had written on the bill. The note told her to enjoy her first child and that she would never forget the experience. Along with these sweet words, he left her a $100 tip for an $8.75 bill.

“He recently just had his first child so he was a little emotional and saying that was the greatest day of his life and it’s gonna change her life,” Nick Hionas, the owner of the diner, told ABC 7 of the anonymous officer.

When English first saw the check, she was in complete disbelief.

"I thought it was a mistake, I didn't think that that was right. But I asked the hostess like four different times, 'Is that right?' and she confirmed it was and she showed me the receipt," English told the local news outlet. "I started crying. This doesn't happen. It was really genuine, it was really nice."

When the man’s gesture slowly started to sink in, English sent her dad a photo of the receipt. Her dad was so moved that he decided to write about it and share the story on social media. From there, this story took off and attracted a great deal of positive attention.

"What a wonderful person to not only leave a VERY generous tip, but a lovely message, I don't know you Mr. Police Officer, but you made my little girl cry, and made her year," wrote English’s father, Brian Cadigan, in his Facebook post.

Food servers and others in the service industry are often berated for their menial work. At best, most people tend to ignore them.  This police officer recognized the woman's hard work and showed kindness through his thoughtful action. By leaving the personal note on his receipt, the police officer showed the food server that he saw her and recognized her efforts.

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"It is tough waitressing at this point, but I have a lot of help; my co-workers won't let me lift heavy trays, and they give me sections close to the kitchen," English told Today. "I have the greatest support from my co-workers and bosses."

On top of that support, this stranger’s act of kindness is something that the expectant mom is likely to remember for a lifetime. When someone reads about this act of generosity, it’s bound to make them feel good, and it may even motivate them to generate their own kindness in their community.

After English’s story went viral back in 2019, ABC 7 reported that people from around the country called into the diner to say that they wanted to help English.

"They wanna know if they can help her because it's the first child. It's the gesture about somebody helping somebody else," said Victor Sierra, the manager at the diner.

As for English, she’s thankful for the anonymous man’s selfless gesture.

“Definitely, thank you,” English told CBS News. “It really means a lot. It’s been really hard saving for the past couple months, so it was really, really amazing.”

According to ABC 7, the $100 tip is about what English would make from an entire shift, and so the officer’s contribution went a long way to help the waitress.

"You see all the bad stuff being portrayed about all police officers these days and there's some really good ones out there," English told ABC 7.

Today reports that the Voorhees County Police Department confirmed that one of their officers did leave English a tip, though he continues to remain anonymous.

What do you think about this police officer's act of kindness? Have you ever left a very generous tip? Let us know, and pass this along to your friends and family to put a smile on their faces!