Small-town waitress fired after receiving and sharing $10,000 tip at Michigan cafe

Boyd, an employee of Mason Jar Café, located in a small town in Michigan, shared her baffling tale with the American media. She had previously recounted this bittersweet encounter on Facebook.

She shared with CNN that while serving breakfast and lunch at the small café, she recently encountered a diner who left her stunned. The tip that the guest left while paying for his meal was an astounding sum of 10,000 dollars.

The man conveyed that his grand gesture was connected to a local event he was attending that day, specifically the funeral of a departed friend. The generous tip was a tribute to his deceased companion.

The unnamed benefactor had only one stipulation. He implored the waitress to share the bounty with the restaurant staff working that day. Exhibiting commendable camaraderie, she distributed the money among her colleagues in both the kitchen and dining room.

The team seemed cohesive and expressed their collective joy on the restaurant's social media account. The post read, "At a time when so much is happening, we wanted to share this experience and extend our gratitude to the person who performed this life-altering act. Witnessing such an amazing event reminded us that we're grateful to anyone who contributes positively to both themselves and others. Stay strong and pass on the love wherever possible." Unfortunately, the Mason Jar Cafe's page has since been taken down.

The situation started to spiral out of control after the tip. Initially, a source of joy and unity turned into a breeding ground for intense discord within the community of the small café.

According to the waitress, negative commentaries, rumors, and conflicts emerged only a few days after the distribution of the windfall among her colleagues. Some found the equal distribution of the money unsettling and argued that the shares should have been allocated proportionally, based on workload and job responsibilities.

Linsey Boyd's description of the tense atmosphere in the media subsequently led to her dismissal. The café owners denied that her termination had anything to do with the sudden influx of money. Instead, they cited her complaints about a "toxic environment" and the public airing of the café's internal matters as their reasons. According to Boyd, the manager claimed that "the best way to alleviate the tension and move on would be for her not to return". The owners of the Mason Jar Café even threatened her with legal action.