ESTES PARK, Colo. (CNN) – After a big breakfast at a restaurant in Colorado, a generous customer left employees a $ 1400 fee and left a message saying, “COVID sucks!”
Notchtop Bakery & Cafe owner Nailya Khametvalieva says the patron, who she only identified as David, arrived at her Estes Park eatery on Wednesday for eggs, bacon, sausage and cookies and gravy.
When it was time to pay the $ 20.04 check, David asked his server how many people worked that day.
Eventually, he left the $ 1400 fee with instructions to give each of the seven employees $ 200.
‘It brought tears to all the servers [and] cooks – you know, no one ever thinks of cooks – the cooks were just as surprised and shocked. We were all shocked, “said Khametvalieva. We did thank him, but I felt we did not do enough. “
She said David lives in the area, but this was only the second time he had been to the restaurant.
Gloria Fuentes waits for David both times he comes in and tells CNN’s subsidiary KMGH that she can not believe it when she sees the bill.
“I was like ‘Oh my God, am I dreaming or what’s going on?’ “Fuentes told KMGH.
Another server tells KMGH that the money will be a big help to her family.
“It’s $ 200 for me, but it’s also $ 200 for my husband. It’s also $ 200 for my daughters, for things we need to make it,” Jayme Johnson said.
Khametvalieva never closed the restaurant she runs for nearly ten years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but said business was difficult. Last year’s wildfires also contributed to the challenge.
She said she could give all her employees hours and also got a PPP loan.
Estes Park is about 70 km outside of Denver, and Khametvalieva says she gets a lot of business from tourists outside the state in the summer.
She said many of the customers bought gift cards to support the restaurant as they could not come in person yet.
“I want to thank everyone who actually feels for small businesses and people who were so grateful and kind and kind. They have a big heart, especially David,” she said.
The-CNN-Wire ™ & © 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner company. All rights reserved.