After visiting a Los Angeles deli in May, ESPN feature writer Roberto José Andrade Franco couldn’t shake a nagging feeling that he’d forgotten to tip.
A few weeks later, after he returned home to El Paso, Texas, he penned a letter to the eatery, Langer’s Deli.
On Aug. 14, the 79-year-old establishment posted the letter from Andrade, which sings the praises of one of its servers and, by extension, restaurant workers everywhere. It also included $50.
“This letter made our whole week,” the post reads.
“Here’s a little backstory to why there’s $50 in this,” Andrade wrote in the letter. “As usual, the food was great. I’m from El Paso, Texas, and I’ve eaten at Langer’s the last two times I’ve visited Los Angeles; that’s how much I enjoy it.”
Andrade explains that instead of splitting the bill with his two friends, he just paid the whole thing to make it “easier.” But after they left and he drove toward Johnny Tapia’s mural in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and later, Muhammad Ali’s grave in Louisville, Kentucky for ESPN, he kept asking himself one question: “Did I leave a tip?”
“I’m about 75% sure I did,” he wrote. “Of course, that leaves a 25% chance I didn’t and honestly, that’s been bothering me for the past few weeks.”
Andrade then lists all the details he could remember about his visit: what time of day it was, where he and his friends sat down, and the person who served them. (He couldn’t remember her name but included a physical description.)
“Sending cash in an envelope is probably not my smartest idea, but I figured it was the easiest way to get this resolved,” Andrade concludes his letter. “I kindly ask that you give these $50 to our waitress along with my apologies.”
Roberto José Andrade Franco’s letter to Langer’s Deli. Langer’s Deli via Facebook
“He used to bus tables and wait tables himself. His sister did too. He knows exactly what that money means to the person carrying the plates,” Langer’s wrote in its post. “We found her. She got it. And she was floored.”
Commenters applauded Andrade for his “outstandingly kind and thoughtful” and “fantastic” actions to get his server her fair share.
“There is hope for the human race,” one person wrote.
It wasn’t just Andrade who forgot whether or not he left a tip — neither the owner, Norm Langer, nor the server, Sue, could remember either.
“When I got the letter and I let Sue read it, and I gave her the $50, she was so taken aback,” Langer tells TODAY.com. “She really didn’t remember the whole interaction. Don’t forget, she waits on several customers every day, and this letter didn’t come in till a week later.”
Because Andrade has worked as a waiter and a busboy, he says he understands how important tips are.
“I do remember it sticking with me when somebody would not tip, or when they would undertip,” he tells TODAY.com. “You always remember the rude customers, and it really bothered me. I didn’t want to be that for somebody.”
Andrade says the letter was so detailed because he was trying to make sure the tip went where it was supposed to.
“I wish that more people would treat life and other human beings the same way he did with this gesture that he made,” Langer says. “I think it’s something to be commended.”
Readers may notice one important detail was left out of Andrade’s letter — what he ordered.
“The number 19,” Andrade says. “That’s what they’re known for.”
The sandwich features hand-cut pastrami, house-made coleslaw, Russian dressing and Swiss cheese on double-baked rye.
“Our claim to fame,” confirms Langer.
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
