Group of friends from Cullman, Alabama, surprised a Waffle House server with a very generous tip
A Waffle House worker in Alabama received an unforgettable tip after a group of friends banded together to spread some generous holiday cheer.
Tanya Ragsdale of Cullman, a north central city in Alabama that’s roughly 50 miles north of Birmingham, shared a Facebook post revealing the “Friendsgiving” occasion that she and her friend group celebrated on Saturday, Nov. 19.
The group went to the Waffle House near Highway 157 in Cullman at 6 a.m. — and wound up tipping their waitress a remarkable $1,125.25 on a $74.75 bill.
Ragsdale, 44, told Fox News Digital that her Friendsgiving group started their generous tipping tradition in 2021.
They don’t announce their intention to do so beforehand.
“We sit wherever the host sits us, so that it is random,” Ragsdale said.
“We don’t know the waitress.”
Ragsdale and her friends each contribute $100 to the Friendsgiving meal and tip.
“I plan to make this an annual event.”
This year, 11 friends joined Ragsdale to take part in the special holiday occasion.
“I plan to make this an annual event,” Ragsdale told Fox News Digital.
“My hope is for it to reach other friend groups to do the same and normalize being kind,” she also said.
Julia Ellison, the Waffle House waitress who received the four-figure tip, told Ragsdale the money will help her provide for children over the holidays.
Ragsdale said she could relate to Ellison because she worked as a waitress before going to college.
“I’m a nurse practitioner [now] and my presence here is to nurture folks,” Ragsdale said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Ellison for comment.
Last year around Christmastime, Ragsdale and her group tipped a local Cracker Barrel waitress $575.01 after paying their $24.99 bill.
Ragsdale said she appreciates that she’s able to form “a friendship” with the servers her Friendsgiving group helps.
They, in turn, express their gratitude.
