Struggling waiter had no idea how he would pay for college — then Jason Derulo showed up
Mega pop star Jason Derulo significantly influenced culture in the mid-2000s. While the hitmaker is rarely making new music, he is surely winning hearts with his generous and kind approach towards people. Earlier, the Swalla singer became an internet discussion after a restaurant server in Omaha, Nebraska narrated a heartwarming instance hinting at a kind gesture by Derulo that changed his life for good. Jordan Schaffer (@jordanschaffer2), a waiter at Charleston’s Restaurant in the city turned heads with his viral story on TikTok about receiving a whopping $5,000 tip from the singer-songwriter who was dining at the restaurant with his family.
The waiter could not help but give a shout-out to the Grammy winner and publicly thank him for his pure act of kindness. He shared footage from the night he served Derulo and his family leading up to the heartwarming moment when the musician signed the jackpot for him. Turns out, the Whatcha Say singer paid for an entire semester of his college tuition fee with his $5,000 tip. The viral video, which has been viewed over 356,000 times, captured the server thanking the star. “Wow, my heart’s beating really fast,” he said while Derulo replied with a compliment. “You guys are really awesome man,” remarked the singer, who was seated at a table surrounded by his family and friends.
Moments after, Schaffer revealed how the tip was going to help him. “Hey Jason, thank you, you just paid for a semester of my college. I can’t say thank you enough,” the emotional waiter expressed. He wished for a “wonderful time” for Derulo and his family in Omaha and hoped to welcome them as guests once again. The server flaunted Derulo’s bill showing the massive tip amount added to an original bill of $795.99. The total sum of the bill came up to be $5,795.99 for the singer’s table. “I can’t believe this. What!” he concluded with a bright smile. This instance goes on to show how little acts of kindness can prove life-altering for many hard-working people trying to make it in life.
Unsurprisingly, the internet was touched and showered love on the staff worker’s viral video. One person (@tcherryluvr777) narrated a similar instance in the comments. “One time I saw him in front of me in the Starbucks drive-thru, I yelled out and told him I loved his music… I was told he paid for my drink!” Someone else (@thenana21) chimed in, “Jason Derulo seems to be a really nice caring man. He’s always doing kind things for other people.” Interestingly, the Take You Dancing singer himself acknowledged the server’s post with a heartfelt comment. Derulo (@jasonderulo) wrote on TikTok, “You seem like a great person. Thank you for taking such great care of our family. Keep spreading the love bro.” The singer also reshared it on his own channel.
The service industry is easily one of the most significant sectors in the world. While it may seem profitable, we can all agree only the top hierarchy of professionals make good money out of it while ground-level staff are often underpaid and overworked. This is where the practice of tipping generously comes into play. People fortunate enough to dine at fancy and established restaurants pay an extra amount to show appreciation for their service. Although the tip is solely based on the payer’s disposition, the standard is 15% of the bill for satisfactory service and 20% for a great one, per UCLA’s Dashew Center. Safe to say, Derulo's tip was much more than just 20%.
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