'Angel' Customer Leaves Giant Tip for Single Mom Having Terrible Morning

It can feel like everything is set against you when you're having a particularly bad day, but the right person can turn it all around in a moment. Waitress Jennifer Vernancio experienced that emotional about-face last month when she was working a tough shift at the Big Cheese & Pub in Cranston, Rhode Island. On May 4, the difficulties started early for the waitress , who'd worked at the pizza joint for three-and-a-half years, according to WJAR-TV in Providence. "I was having a terrible morning," said Vernancio, mom to a 16-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son. "I couldn't find a sitter. There was a kid at day care that was sick so I couldn’t bring my son. "I was supposed to be in at 11. They told me to come in when I have a sitter, so my daughter was available after school. That's when I came in." [firefly_embed] [/firefly_embed] When the single mother finally got to work much later than intended, she put on a brave face and started doing her job -- and her very first customers turned out to be the most generous she'd ever had in her 20 years of food service. "My first table of the day was a super, super nice gentleman with his wife," Vernancio told WJAR. "Stressful morning ended up being an awesome day." The couple ordered some salads and sandwiches and their bill came out to a modest $48.17 -- but the tip they left was so much more. "The gentleman looked over his shoulder and said, 'Bye, have a nice day,'" Vernancio recalled. "I said, 'You too.' "I go over to pick up the check, I don’t even know. They left me an $810 tip. I’m like, are you kidding? This can’t be. "I brought it to my manager and at first I’m like, 'This can’t be.' She’s like, 'Oh no, that’s it.'" [firefly_embed] [/firefly_embed] Manager Kim Tierney took a look at the bill and surprised Vernancio even more since the waitress initially thought the tip was $600. "She came up to me, she was very taken back is the word I would use," Tierney said. "She was like, ‘Kim, Kim. Someone left me a $600 tip.' And I was like, 'Jen, stop.' "And I kinda pulled the paper out, I said, ‘Well, I have better news for you, it’s not $600 it’s an $800 tip.' ... She was like, ‘I’m going to pass out.'" Vernancio was overwhelmed by the generous gesture. "That money, it’s more than a couple of shifts," she said. "I mean it helps out, everything helps out, but that is more than money, it’s just true kindness. Honestly, I believe and spread it everywhere, I go for the law of attraction." Vernancio planned to buy new shoes for her teen and a police truck for her son and pay off some bills with the remainder of the tip money. Surprise $810 tip leaves Cranston pizza restaurant waitress speechless https://t.co/BUKNS09dLj

— Jeannie II (@Genie2ofBaghdad) May 14, 2022 "It was just very kind of them people don’t realize what a difference it makes," Tierney said. "There are angels out there. It makes a difference in someone’s life you know. Sometimes, the little gesture of kindness can go a long way or a lot of gesture of kindness in this aspect, but it goes a long way and you never know what someone is going through." While Vernancio doesn't know the customers' names, she'll certainly remember them for a long time to come. "To the gentleman and his wife that left that generous tip, I just want to say thank you so much. It meant a lot," she said. "The money is very, very much appreciated. It helps out no matter what. "However, the kindness behind it and making my day from going a little hectic to that kind of a tip made me smile the rest of the day.”

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal .