Melbourne waitress scores $10,000 tip from generous diners

A Melbourne waitress was tipped $10,000 at a trendy Italian restaurant in Melbourne.

The four mystery diners spent $500 on steak and pasta at Gilson in South Yarra and were clearly impressed with the service.

The trendy Italian eatery is often frequented by social media models, influencers and reality TV stars, however it is believed the generous diner is a young crypto entrepreneur with two Toorak mansions worth $120 million.

The tip of $10,000 was spread between staff under the stipulation that the serving waitress whose name is Lauren, would receive 70% of it, making it a $7000 haul.

Lauren who is a university student was shocked at how much she had been given.

The balance of the money was shared between the 23 other staff members, meaning they each received an extra $136.  

Lauren told the Herald Sun, “I made them say the number out loud because I thought 'what if I have just gotten too excited and I've stupidly read an extra zero or something like that'.

One member of staff, also named Lauren said, “Lauren's a great waitress and it's a wealthy area, that has to be taken that into consideration.

“We have high net worth customers and hatted restaurants next door. And the tipper was a successful businessman.”

The diners were a walk-in group, not regulars.

Following the tip, Lauren cut her hours to part-time to concentrate in her studies.

Gilson owner Jamie McBride said, “(It's) very pleasing, it makes the team feel really special when they're acknowledged, especially when no one's ever expecting anything like that.”

Lauren described the restaurant as ‘a tight knit family’, something McBride would take to heart after being fines $204,000 in 2021 for underpaying staff.

Jonathan Jackson - 21-2-23