Tennessee group brightens servers’ Christmas
By JOYLYN BUKOVAC
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MURFREESBORO, Tennessee (WSMV) — A Murfreesboro family started a movement that’s catching on nationwide. They created a Facebook page called Tipping in the Boro. It’s dedicated to tipping servers hundreds of dollars.
Tyler, the creator of Tipping in the Boro, said this act of kindness started to help food industry workers in Murfreesboro during the start of the pandemic. Now their Facebook page has thousands of followers, and the community is chipping in to keep the generosity going.
Their goal is to surprise 12 servers leading up to Christmas. So far, they have given more than six servers tips of $300 or more.
Tyler and his wife capture the servers’ reaction and post the videos on the Tipping in the Boro Facebook page so community members can see who their donations are helping.
“Here’s $340 for you,” Tyler said as he handed cash to Callie, a server a Cracker Barrel.
“Thank you so much! I’m in college,” Callie said as she wiped away tears. “I don’t have any money. I have to get an apartment soon. So, thank you so much this really helps a lot, you guys.”
For some servers like Mariah, this extra cash was life-changing.
“I just went to an apartment meeting because I live in a shelter,” said Mariah, a server at Applebee’s. “And so I just went to an apartment meeting today, and I have to have $600 by Monday so you just gave me half that money. Thank you so much. I had no idea how I was going to get that money. Then she was handed another $300 so she could move into her own apartment. You’re kidding me. I don’t even know if I can take this.”
The creator of Tipping in the Boro said he had no idea Mariah recently left an abusive relationship. She and her 2-year-old child have been living in a shelter.
“When we gave her that first $300 and she told us a story it really pulled at my heartstrings, said Tyler. “ So we gave her the other $300 to get to her apartment and get out of the situation she was in.”
Since Mariah’s story has gone viral on Tik Tok, people have reached out to Tipping in the Boro’s social media page, asking for help to start a similar movement in communities across the country.
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