Table Of 12 'Bless' Georgia Waitress With $1,200 Tip

Dec 18, 2019 by apost team

Working as a waitress is often a thankless job with long hours and little compensation.

Janet Ballard is a 53-year-old woman who has had a job as a waitress at Cracker Barrel for over a decade. Although she must get exhausted waiting tables day after day, she continues to serve with a smile and desires to make all the diners happy.

When a group of 12 friends decided to stop by the restaurant to grab some food, Janet could have been overwhelmed and frustrated with the large party; however, that was far from the case.

"I connected with them immediately," Ballard told TODAY. "I’m a people person. I start with greeting them and finding out what needs they have, if they have allergies or whether they’re vegan. Everything that they can possibly need or want I try to hone in on those things when I’m taking that individual order."

The 53-year-old added that she starts out all her orders by asking if the diners have allergies or special eating needs so that she can point them in the right direction toward food that they will most enjoy.

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The group seemed to enjoy Janet’s attention and appreciated everything that she did for them. The Church group was so inspired by the waitress's attentiveness that they decided to give her a special gift. 

When the meal was over, they handed her a Christmas card. Janet opened the card to discover that she had received $1,200, which was $100 for each of the 12 diners. Having opened the card in front of the diners, Janet couldn’t hold back the tears of excitement that began to run down her face. She was totally amazed and overwhelmed by their offer.

James Deal, who was one of the diners, took pictures of the event and posted it on his Facebook page, showcasing himself and several of the other diners hugging Janet. 

"What a wonderful day with friends as we celebrate our 1st Annual 100 dollar breakfast," reads the post's caption. "We all gave our waitress Janet a $1200.00 tip. May God have the Glory for all that is done in his name. Merry Christmas Janet!!!!"

Janet says that the Christmas card was full of Bible verses that touched her heart. As she counted the money out loud as per the instruction of the diners, she started to choke up by the time she got to $400. 

“I don’t really like to cry with a camera in my face,” Janet told TODAY, but she says that she was so overwhelmed with emotion that she didn’t even care at that moment. Just knowing that the people cared enough about her to bless her with the money completely took her by surprise. Janet says that she not only covered her taxes and her car payment with the money, but she paid it forward by giving a generous tip of her own.

Have you ever generously tipped, someone? Tell us about it in the comment section below!