food

Man Dishes Out $2,000 in Tips to Server, Kitchen Staff at Chicago Restaurant

“He basically walked around to every person in the kitchen and shook their hands with $100”

Employees working in a restaurant were stunned when a man walked into the kitchen and handed all 17 of them $100 while dining at the Chicago eatery. 

According to staff at Boka, a Seattle man identified only by the name "Mike,"was dining at the Lincoln Park restaurant with friends Sunday night. 

"He kind of came into the kitchen before they ate and asked, 'How many people do you have working in the kitchen' and what not," said Chef Lee Wolen. 

After his meal, Mike not only left a $300 tip on his $769 tab, he also walked around the kitchen and personally handed 17 members of the kitchen staff "a crisp $100 bill."

Mike told the employees it was the "absolute best service and best food I have ever had."

"He basically walked around to every person in the kitchen and shook their hands with $100," Wolen said. 

The move was one Wolen said he had never seen before in his years as a chef. 

"Servers work for tips and they’re used to getting tips every day and people bring beer or alcohol to the kitchen sometimes, buy shots for the kitchen, but for someone to walk around with literally $1,700 is pretty cool," he said. 

Mike, who in total dished out $2,000 in tips at the restaurants, stayed to take a photo with the staff before heading on his way. 

If there’s one thing Wolen said he’d like to tell Mike it’s "thank you."

"There needs to be more people like you," he said. 

Wolen was among the finalists named for the "Best Chef Great Lakes" category in the James Bears Awards this year. He also received a nomination in the category in the 2017 awards. Boka first opened in the city in 2003.

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