Server at Cape Coral restaurant receives $2,020 tip to end the year

Servers had it tough in 2020. We saw it when restaurants closed, unemployment spiked, and food lines grew.

To start 2021, it took one person to show us there are better days ahead for people in the restaurant industry.

Dawn Sliger greets every one of her customers with a high energy, and good karma made its way back around to her to end the year and start 2021 at a time when she needed it.

“After the holidays I’m sitting on like less than $200, and I just have like an A to B car,” Sliger explained. “I’m not looking for anything fancy, I had a $2,000 cap.”

Sliger told us she had been trying to save up for a new car when she got an unexpected boost.

“It’s definitely magical; that’s for sure,” Sliger said.

A customer went into Masala Mantra in Cape Coral and left her a gift she’ll never forget. As we said goodbye to 2020, Sliger received the tip of a lifetime.

“The only thing else I could say was, ‘Do you wanna receipt for that?’” And we were all laughing so hard,” Sliger said. “You know for him to do that and to give, it just made my year.”

This act of kindness is already giving 2021 a good rep.

“The fact that it really is truly magical,” Sliger said. “I’m sitting here, it’s monetary form, you have to, you know, there has to be an amount, and that’s $2,000, and what he felt led to give was exactly what I need for this vehicle.”

We reached out to the man who gave Sliger the tip. He wants to remain anonymous, but he says her passion for life fueled him to give her the money. Sliger also says when she gets the car, she hopes to take him to dinner.

It’s more than just a tip for Sliger said. It’s the start of something beautiful.

“I’m excited to go into the new year and what a way to do that because of a simple act of kindness,” Sliger said.