Waitress Who Works 2 Jobs 'Just to Get By' Brought to Tears by $1,000 Tip on $87.15 Bill

The waitress said she "thought it was a mistake" at first.

January 19, 2017, 2:16 PM

— -- A waitress from Canada said she was recently stunned and brought to tears by a diner who left her a $1,000 tip on a $87.15 bill.

"I thought it was a mistake, but she assured me it was the right amount, and I just started crying and thanking her so much," said Jennifer Peitsch, a waitress at Mongo's Grill in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Peitsch, 20, received the generous gratuity this past Saturday while working an unusually busy shift, she told ABC News today.

"Everything was taking a little longer, and I was really anxious and stressed out," Peitsch said. "This woman told me she used to be a waitress and she understood how I was feeling."

The cash has been a blessing and relief to Peitsch, who said she works two jobs "just to get by."

PHOTO: Jennifer Pietsch, 20, received a $1,000 tip on a bill of $87.15 while waitressing at Mongo's Grill in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, on Jan. 14, 2017.
Jennifer Pietsch, 20, received a $1,000 tip on a bill of $87.15 while waitressing at Mongo's Grill in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, on Jan. 14, 2017. Credit: Jennifer Pietsch/Facebook

The 20-year-old said that she works full time at a grocery store from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and she also often works part time as a waitress from 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. just to "have enough money to pay the bills."

Peitsch said she used the $1,000 to fully pay off a credit card debt, and with that off her mind, she's excited about saving money to go to college.

Though Peitsch did not catch the name of the woman who tipped her, a Facebook post she wrote about the incident was shared hundreds of times, and it helped her find the mystery diner: a woman named Lisa Julia Holgate.

Holgate told CBC Newsthat she was "ecstatic" for Peitsch.

"She asked me why I did this, and I said I was a good person, and I figured that she was a good person and she's working hard and she deserves it," Holgate said. "I just said, 'Pay it forward.'"