When working in the service industry, the ideal customer is the big tipper. In 2021, a waitress took over the shift for a coworker who was ill. She was supposed to serve a large group of customers who ended up leaving a $4,400 tip for both the original waitress and the one who took over. Things quickly went south when the restaurant’s manager abruptly changed the rules regarding tipping.
She was fired as a result of taking the money.Many servers in the hospitality industry rely on large tips because their wages are insufficient to support them and their families throughout the month. Ryan Brandt, a waitress at the Oven and Tap restaurant, was serving a table of more than 40 people. She only accepted the tip after her colleague became ill. Grant Wise, or @likegrantwise, the host of the large dinner party, had planned to leave a large tip for whoever served them.
Grant Wise summoned Ryan Brandt after they finished their meals. While he spoke to his fellow diners, he wrapped his arm around her waist. One of the people at the table captured Grant’s conversation with Ryan on video and posted it to Instagram. “We got to bless our server tonight with $4400,” the post caption reads. “At the #witly CMO Conference, we collected 100 from each of us as a group.” I’m honored to have been a part of something so lovely and generous.
To bless someone without first knowing them.”Grant informed them that they were all attending a $100 dinner club night. This is a viral trend in which people go out to eat and each person at the table gives $100 as a tip, regardless of the total bill. Ryan put her hands to her mouth in disbelief when Grant mentioned that she would receive $4,400. She burst into tears of joy shortly after.
“I have been blessed, so it is wonderful to pay it forward and bless someone else,” the post continued. God bless everyone who helped and the servers who received it. I hope it is multiplied and has a positive impact on their lives.”Grant Wise, a real estate agent, had called ahead of time. He inquired about the restaurant’s tip-sharing policy. According to reports, waiters keep their tips, but a portion of their pay goes to runners and bartenders.

So the large group ate their dinner, confident that their waitress would receive the full tip they intended to give her.Unfortunately, Ryan Brandt’s high from serving a table of big tippers was fleeting. The restaurant manager may have overheard Grant announcing her tip. “I was told that I would be handing over my cash to my shift manager. And I’d be taking home 20%,” Ryan explained in an interview with KNWA news.
The restaurant did not normally require waitresses to share their tips, as Grant Wise had inquired. Ryan had never done anything like this before. She explained this to her big tipper, but Grant Wise refused. He explained to the manager that he had not intended to share the tip with other waiters who had not assisted him.So he demanded the money back, which he handed over to Ryan outside the premises.
According to reports, Ryan was fired as a result of accepting the money. Because of this unjust treatment, she was unable to pay her bills or buy food. She also had student loan payments to make, which were about to resume after a brief hiatus due to the pandemic.KNWA News approached the restaurant and asked to interview them about the incident. They demanded an explanation for Ryan Brandt’s dismissal.
They explained that the large tippers had requested the tip be returned so that they could give it to specific waitresses. They, according to them, complied. However, they refused to provide an explanation for why Ryan’s employment was terminated. “Following their meal, this large group of guests requested that their gratuity be given to two specific servers.”
We fully complied with their request. We do not discuss the details of an employee’s termination out of respect for our highly valued team members.”We never discuss personnel issues because we value our employees and value their privacy. The server who was fired several days after our group ate with us was not fired because she chose to keep the tip money.
The other two servers who received generous tips from the Witly organization that evening, including one who received $2,200, are still on our team.” They later threatened to sue Ryan Brandt for causing them to lose their reputation. They sent her a cease and desist letter after Oven and Tap received a massive amount of negative views and ratings.
Since then, they’ve “been cast as a restaurant that treats its employees poorly.” Grant Wise, a Big Tipper and Fundraiser, has started a GoFundMe page in Ryan Brandt’s honor. The goal is to assist her in obtaining funds to pay her rent and utility bills, as well as to purchase food. The page earned a total of $18,367. However, $8,732 of that total will go to Ryan Brandt. Anything left over will be given to the next waitress they decide to eat with.