He is known as a regular who favors the gumbo and a beer at Blue 44, a restaurant in upper Northwest Washington. And he’s a good, generous tipper.
But the owner, bartender and chef at the restaurant on Connecticut Avenue said they were shocked when the patron left a really, really big tip — $2,000 on a $93 bill.
Christofer Nardelli, owner of the four-year-old restaurant, said the man left the tip Monday evening after he and a friend had fried chicken, gumbo and the patron’s favorite brew — Old Chub Scotch Ale.
And then they left.
It wasn’t until the pair were long gone that the bartender — Laura Dally — noticed something unusual.
A receipt is seen showing the $2,000 tip that a customer left at Blue 44 in Northwest Washington. (Courtesy of Christofer Nardelli)
Just before 10 p.m., as she and others were cleaning up and getting ready to close, she picked up the bill holder. Inside was the credit card slip with a $2,000 tip, including details of how it should be divided among the three — $1,000 for chef James Turner and $500 each for Dally and Nardelli.
And a note — “Thank you for the Gumbo!”
“I was in utter shock,” she said. “I was completely speechless. I had to do a double take.”
Dally went to her boss and said, “We need to talk.”
The two went back to his office, and she showed him the receipt.
