More often than not, when we hear or read of a restaurant server being left a note on their receipt it usually says something derogatory on it. I can tell you from first hand experience, being a server is a difficult job and it can be very stressful.
Even if you put your best foot forward and be the best server you could possibly ever be, there is no guarantee as to how much money you’re going to make and as a result, you may not be able to pay your bills. A lot of people say ‘that is the line of work you chose’ and for many that may be the case, but for others it is something they have to do to help make ends meet.
When Jason White and his friends from west Texas entered Washington restaurant on Monday morning, they noticed immediately how they did not seem to fit in. The walls of Busboys and Poets are covered with African-American art and images of the restaurant that is known for promoting social justice. Jason said he looked around and told his friend he might want to remove his red “Make America Great Again” cap.
The young woman who would be their server, Rosalynd Harris, arrived at work that morning still buzzing with the energy from the Women’s March.
From Fox News:
A group of men from west Texas entered the restaurant and started to chat with Harris. One of the men, who said he was a dentist, complimented her on her smile. Harris, who is black, told the Post she was admittedly a bit prejudice when the men, who were white, told her they were in town to support Trump.
However, Harris didn’t expect what would come next.
After the men had left, Harris picked up their check and found that they left a heartwarming message and a generous tip. They left Harris a $450 tip on a $72.60 bill. Their message read:
“We may come from different cultures and may disagree on certain issues, but if everyone would share their smile and kindness like your beautiful smile, our country will come together as one people. Not race. Not gender. Just American. God Bless!”
Harris said she was overwhelmed.
“You automatically assume if someone supports Trump that they have ideas about you, but [the customer is] more embracing than even some of my more liberal friends, and there was a real authenticity in our exchange,” she told The Washington Post.
Harris said she took a job being a server about a year-and-a-half ago to make extra money to supplement the income she receives as a professional dancer. She will soon be moving to a new apartment and was concerned about how she would have enough money to cover the costs of the move so she had been taking on extra shifts. When she picked up the receipt and saw the extra $450 she said it was “a huge weight off my shoulders”.
But Harris said the men left her with so much more. The note that was left on her receipt was a reminder to not make assumptions. It made her realize how so many Americans want unity, regardless of their politics, and to not be afraid to connect with someone as human beings, she said.
“This definitely reshaped my perspective. Republican, Democrat, liberal are all subcategories to what we are experiencing,” Harris said. “It instills a lot of hope.”
For White, he said he wanted to show her that they probably have more in common than it would appear.
“As I sat there I thought about the entire weekend and I thought I don’t know her, she doesn’t know me, but if most Americans have a preconceived perception about people then we’re never going to get better,” he said.
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