Other Big Fat Tips in Cities Around the United States!

The Big Fat Tip® #57
We love the reaction from this server, and we hope those kittens he saved will be OK! Huge thanks to our donors who made this tip possible: Mark Dorsey, Nicole Araujo, Paul Miller, Brad Sundgren, Alina Cooper from Catalina Solutions, and Kate Dietz. Big Fat Thanks to the Miller family, who were our volunteers of the day. They were excited to create a positive, memorable moment for our recipient.
The Big Fat Tip® #56: Cali Viejo Restaurant - Brandon, Florida - January 1, 2024
We kicked off 2024 by dropping Big Fat Tip #56 on January 1st! Jeff De-Cagna has long supported our little organization because it touches on a topic near his heart. Adolfo De Cagna, Jeff's late father, was formally trained in restaurant service and worked in Europe before immigrating to the United States. Throughout Jeff's childhood, Adolfo was a maître d' and restaurateur in the New York area, and he taught Jeff the importance of showing thanks and appreciation to hardworking restaurant staff through gratuities. Jeff is turning 56 in March, and he wanted to fund the 56th drop even though it wouldn't happen on his birthday. So, he's celebrating early, which was perfect timing for our recipients. Our volunteer, Cindy Ocasio Roach, was thrilled to participate in such a sweet moment. Thanks to Jeff and his wife, Meeghan Donahue De Cagna, for making several people's days. Watch the video to see their reactions.
The Big Fat Tip® #50: The Original Pancake House - Park Ridge, Illinois - December 11, 2023
We handed out The Big Fat Tip® #50 on December 11, 2023. Big Fat thanks to our volunteer of the day, Trent Modglin owner of Venture Forth Media and Publisher of The Real Park Ridge, Illinois Brewing, and The Real Chicago magazines. HUGE thanks to the donors who made this milestone tip possible: Mark Dorsey, Nicole Yackanicz Araujo, Cathi Eifert Horner, Eric Thomas, Brad Sundgren, Christy Gandy, Angela Felts Gieras, and Brandy Swecker ower of Bliss Heath Spa in Lakeland. Without you, there wouldn't be any more big fat tips. Thank you for helping us spread joy, hope, and positive, memorable moments for people working hard in the U.S. service industry. #randomactsofkindness #service #bigfattip
The Big Fat Tip® #49: Applebee's - Tallahassee, Florida - December 6, 2023
The story behind this surprise $1,000 tip (#49) has many layers: 1) This Applebee's is the same one our founder, Deedre Daniel, worked at 26 years ago in Tallahassee, Florida, where she vowed to herself to "one day hand out big fat tips to strangers." 2) Big Fat Tip #48 was given out in Scottsdale and paid for entirely by Mark Dorsey, FASAE, CAE - CEO of Construction Specifications Institute. Deedre asked audience members watching her keynote at the Council of State Restaurant Associations conference in Scottsdale to help her surprise a stranger with a $1,000 tip on the way to the evening reception and dinner. Four people enthusiastically volunteered to join her on the excursion: Jennifer Norman, CAE, Vice President at Novi AMS, and Heather Singleton, COO of RI Hospitality Association & RI Hospitality Education Foundation (The other two preferred not to be featured in the video, but loved the experience of watching it all happen live.) Suzanne Egan Bohle, who is the Vice President of CSRA, loved the mission of The Big Fat Tip® and that some of her members could participate in this special moment. She wanted to pay it forward and donated $1,000 for the next one, which is how we had the funds for this tip (#49). 3) The volunteers who handed over the money for #49 were also recruited from the audience, this time at the Florida Society of Association Executives December Power Luncheon in Tallahassee, where Deedre delivered a 40-minute stand-up comedy set. 4) Three people in that audience enthusiastically volunteered to hand over the $1,000 tip: Michelle Waddell, Sales Manager at Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach, Betty Ann Lewis, Senior Sales Manager at The Shores Resort & Spa, and Alexis Langley, CAE, Customer Experience Manager at CharityEngine. That's a lot of layers! Now, watch the video. Get some tissues. This "behind the scenes" story is a perfect example of the real Power of Associations and how people connected to them enthusiastically come together to impact lives every day.
The Big Fat Tip® #48: Buca di Beppo - Scottsdale, Arizona - November 14, 2023
We dropped this tip on the way to the Council of State Restaurant Associations conference reception and dinner in Scottsdale. We wrote the names of several open businesses that were close to the reception and drew Buca di Beppo! The recipient was working so hard! She was making drinks for the entire restaurant, taking orders/running out food to a section, training a new hire, and dealing with inventory and other projects simultaneously. Her reaction brought tears to our eyes. BIG FAT THANKS to our sponsor of this tip, Mark Dorsey, and our volunteers of the day, Jenn Norman and Heather Singleton!
The Big Fat Tip® #47: Funky Pelican - Flagler Beach, Florida - October 6, 2023
Check out the reaction this college student had when we surprised him with $1,000 tip on one slice of Key Lime Pie! Big Fat Thanks to Anne Nevel and the ladies of The Sleepover, who made this tip possible. Special thanks to our volunteer of the day, Carla Howard! 
The Big Fat Tip® #46: Tocabe - Denver, Colorado - September 6, 2023
After we placed our order at this American Indian Eatery, we discovered the credit card machine would not accept a $1,000 tip! It took a while to figure out a way around it. This tech issue often arises. The programmers never thought a guest would tip more than three figures—super-special shout-out to Christy, who may have hacked this tech issue for us in the future.  It was all smiles from the employees who got to split the money.  Big Fat Thanks to our anonymous donor who paid for this tip. Special thanks to our volunteers of the day: Melissa Mack, Christy Gandy, and Karim Cheikh. Heartfelt thanks to C. Dallas Golden, DES, for some of the shots used in this video
The Big Fat Tip® #45 - Rita's on the River - San Antonio, Texas - August 16, 2023
Our server saw the tip amount before we could prompt her to "check the math for us." She told us she had been praying for help with a family situation, and we had just given her hope. That just so happens to be our mission: to Deliver Hope and Create Positive, Memorable Moments for People Working in the U.S. Service Industry. Mission accomplished. (And tears all around.) Big Fat Thanks to our volunteer of the day, Liz De Leon, and our anonymous donor, who covered the total cost of this tip.
The Big Fat Tip® #44 - The Landmark Diner - Atlanta, Georgia - August 8, 2023.
We wanted to shake things up by going to an establishment that worked for tips but was not in the food service industry. We went to an extraordinary old barbershop. Alas, they only took cash. Since we are an official nonprofit, we only deal with recorded transactions and must use a credit card to track where the funds are going. So, after a great haircut, we wandered around the corner and walked into this old diner. After watching the video, you may decide it was meant to be!  Big Fat Tip #44 happened in Atlanta at The Landmark Diner on August 8, 2023, during the ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership Annual Meeting. Watch the video to see his reaction and how we found him. Big Fat Thanks to our donors and volunteer of the day, Timothy Woods. 
The Big Fat Tip® #43 - Ink & Barley - Saint Augustine, Florida - June 23, 2023
We flipped a coin to determine where to drop #43, which led us to an interesting biz that offers tattoos and brews. These recipients visited the business that was on the tail end of the coin toss and made their day with a big tip - keeping the reason a sweet secret. Shout out to our volunteer of the day: Chris Robinson!  We received this follow-up email from Jarrod: “As a business owner, I felt an instant state of confusion and a feeling of guilt for excepting such a generous random tip from a stranger. Then I remembered that it has been a long road to get here. Quitting my job to invest everything we had into a small business that we have yet to pay ourselves out of yet. Not to mention the added credit cards purchases lol. Beyond all of that, I think this experience has validated and reinforced my passion for ‘being of service’ and hope that everyone that walks in our shop knows that they’re valued and appreciated.There’s a lot people out there that still care and value our line of work, and you never know who is going to come through your doors with a Big Fat Tip…Cheers!”

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