'Tips for Jesus' Mystery Men Leave $5,000 Gratuity for LA Server That Will Help Cover Law School Application Fees

By Jessica Martinez, CP Reporter Thursday, January 09, 2014

The generous bunch behind "Tips for Jesus" made a Los Angeles cocktail waitress's night last week when they left her a $5,000 tip that she now plans to use to pay for her law school applications.

Leigh Dallard, 27, who serves at Acabar in West Hollywood, said the patrons who left her the tip were a group of young, well dressed guys who also sent bottles of wine and champagne to different tables throughout the restaurant, in addition to paying for an elderly couple's tab.

"They immediately ordered a magnum [bottle] of Veuve for a nearby group of ladies, before even ordering their beers," said Dallard, reports LAist.com. "Right away I had a feeling they would be a fun group to serve…they had beers and some dessert but not much else for themselves."

Although she had to split the tip among the wait staff, Dallard took home about $1,100 for the night which brought her much financial relief after the cost of applying to law school was already becoming a burden on her pocket this month.

"I feel like I hit the jackpot Friday. It was very lucky. I don't feel like I earned it or even really deserve it, but I certainly do appreciate it. That type of generosity definitely shows character," she said.

The next day, another server received a $4,000 tip from the same tipper at Pearl's in Los Angeles, as shown on the Tips for Jesus Instagram account.

The man behind the movement is reportedly Jack Selby, a San Francisco bay area financier who has left tips at high and low end restaurants throughout the country, including a resort in Mexico.

"In places like West Hollywood, there are bound to be people who live in the neighborhood or who frequent those neighborhoods who are extremely wealthy, and using some of that wealth to make a server's night, or week really, is pretty amazing," said Dallard.

In a similar story, a Nebraska waitress received a $6,100 tip last week after serving two customers at Cracker Barrel. Like Dallard, the server, Abigail Sailors, said she was going to use the money to enroll in school again after enduring financial hardships that restrained her from attending. It is unknown whether Sailors' patrons are a part of the tips movement since she decided to keep their identities anonymous.

Back in December, Tips for Jesus posted a picture on Instagram of a $7,000 tip receipt, given to another student studying at Parsons School of Design in New York City.