Making it right

“Dear Mr. Waiter, About a week and a half ago, my 3 friends and I came to eat at this restaurant as our own homecoming celebration. It was an exciting experience for us to be here alone, and it was all new to us. And you were the best waiter we could ask for. You were kind, helpful, accommodating and didn’t treat us like babies, and were even able to fit the food to all my allergies! So I wanted to say thank you for making our ‘grown up’ experience so amazing and fun. I would also like to say I’m sorry on behalf of my group. Since we were new to all this, our 13-year-old minds didn’t exactly know how to deal with the bill. You were super helpful in dividing the check up and taking our not-so-preferable cash. The bill was reasonable, but we had completely forgotten (and frankly didn’t know) what a tip even was, let alone how much to give. So we emptied our pockets and all our money added up to $3.28. Not aware of how small this really was, we left, clueless of what we had left you for all your hard work. Later, we realized our mistake and felt HORRIBLE. We knew we had to make it right. So in this envelope you will find the correct 18% tip + extra for simply being amazing. We appreciate your help and patience, and thank you for making our night fun. Thank you!—the 4 teenagers from that night”

The waiter shared this handwritten note with Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Eat Pray Love” website. The waiter said he had worked hard that night to make sure the kids were happy, remembering how important his high school dances were.

The kids are all right.