It’s always heartening to be reminded that good can come out of even the most repugnant of situations.
This is what happened when a waiter in Wisconsin was gifted with an incredible show of support after a group of diners subjected them to homophobic abuse.
Good samaritan Eric Salzwedel shared the story on Facebook, explaining that the restaurant worker had been left a vile message by the table they were serving.
Salzwedel posted a photo of the note which was scrawled on the bill for their meal. It read: “Service was good but we don’t tip sinful homosexuals.”
Rather than focus on shaming the culprits, Salzwedel explained that he wanted to prove to the server that “this community and so many others do LOVE them”.
He therefore proposed that well-wishers help him gather together “the biggest tip they have ever received”.
Posting his Venmo and PayPal details, he urged his Facebook friends to donate what they could – and they duly obliged.
Within two days, they had raised a whopping $4,545 (around £3,300) and, true to his word, Salzwedel returned to the restaurant to present the worker with their tip.
Posting a photo of the new receipt in an update, he wrote: “To the folks who felt it was necessary to write this hateful note and not tip… don’t worry, me and about 250 others will cover the tip for you.”
The heartwarming story was shared widely across social media, with donations continuing to pour in.
In another follow-up, posted six days after the original event, Salzwedel revealed that, upon the server’s request, they had sent $295 (around £215) in funds to LGBTQ charity The Trevor Project.
He added in a comment that the waiter had also used some of their tip money to make a separate donation to the non-profit.
It’s times like these that our faith in humanity truly is restored.