SCRANTON, Pa. — Bradley, who did not want to give his last name, has been a server at Bar Pazzo for about two years.
He was looking forward to welcoming back customers inside the restaurant this past weekend after months of empty tables.
"We were all just super excited, and to have something like that happen kind of deflated our morale a little bit, at least mine for sure," he said.
Bradley says he was treated poorly by a customer on Saturday, who took issue with having to wear a mask to his table, pretended to sneeze on the hostess, and roughly grabbed and cursed at Bradley when he didn't split the check the way the customer wanted.
Management posted what happened on Facebook, along with a photo of the receipt, which shows the gratuity scratched out.
"When those things happen, it's really jarring because, for me, it's not about how you personally feel about the pandemic or this or that. It's really more about being kind to your fellow man," said manager Gavin Esham.
But immediately, people in the community stepped up to give Bradley "the tip of all tips."
So far, two online fundraisers have raised nearly $2,500.
"It's tremendous. It's hard to put into words," said Bradley.
"People being kind and being supportive and showing support is really all we could ever ask for," said Esham.
Bradley tells Newswatch 16 he plans to give the money back to people who work in the restaurant industry and have been struggling due to the pandemic.
He hasn't decided which relief fund he will choose yet.
"Right now, we know that's what he have to do. We gotta pay it forward to the people who might not have as much as we do," said Bradley.