'Tips for Jesus' Encourages Followers to Join #Project Christmas Eve
The person or persons behind the now-famous "Tips for Jesus" Instagram account is encouraging consumers everywhere to join the movement by generously tipping their servers as a part of "Project Christmas Eve."
"Working Christmas Eve sucks, right?" a message recently posted to the account states. "Join @tipsforjesus and make it awesome for your server. #ProjectChristmasEve."
The social media account features photographs of bar and restaurant receipts that have extravagant tips and encouraging messages written on them. In many of the photos the servers on the receiving end of the generous acts are also shown with a signed receipt in hand.
The tagline for the Tips for Jesus account, which has garnered 72,000 followers since photos first began being posted in September, is "Doing the Lord's work, one tip at a time." The account shows tips ranging from a few hundred dollars up to $10,000.
The tips were given at businesses in several different states, including California, New York, Washington, Michigan and others. The mystery benefactor, or benefactors, has also posted images of generous gratuity given in Mexico.
Aruj Dhawan, a 25-year-old waiter at Bo's Kitchen & Bar Room in Manhattan, says he was "really thankful" for having received a $1,000 tip on a $111.05 bill earlier this month, according to the New York Post. The receipt, which was stamped with the @tipsforjesus handle, also had the words "God bless!" written on it.
"As I was about to drop the check off, one of the men said they would 'make my night.' They called me over, gave me the check - I was amazed,'' Dhawan told the publication. ''They took a picture [with me] and literally, just like that, they walked out."
The waiter also told the Post that the man who had been so generous toward him was former PayPal Vice President Jack Selby. Selby, a financier who made a considerable amount of money when PayPal was purchased for $1.5 billion in 2002 by eBay, has not confirmed that he is responsible for the Tips for Jesus movement.
