Donnie Wahlberg wanted to ensure his top-notch waitress got the “right stuff” in the form of compensation when he dined at an Illinois IHOP on New Year’s Day.
The generous gesture from the New Kids on the Block member and actor was made public by his wife Jenny McCarthy on Wednesday. After spending just over $75 on the pancake spot, Wahlberg doled an additional $2,020 for his tip to his waitress Bethany.
“Donnie Wahlberg starting 2020 off like the amazing man he is,” McCarthy wrote on Twitter, sharing a photo of the receipt for the meal at an IHOP in St. Charles, Illinois.
The waitress, Bethany Provenche, told People magazine that as a single mom and longtime fan of New Kids on the Block, the surprise was a life changer.
“I just moved into an apartment, I’m a single mother — by myself with my son. So I struggle every day to make ends meet. And now I can buy furniture and put some money in the bank, and make sure my son is good.”
It wasn’t Wahlberg’s first wildly generous act. In 2017, he left a $2,000 tip for a Waffle House waitress in Charlotte, North Carolina.
This year’s sizable tip was tied to the 2020 Tip Challenge, which Wahlberg wrote on his receipt. The challenge has been a trending topic on Twitter and encourages consumers to tip $20.20 on their restaurant bills no matter the total. If the budget permits, some have tipped $2,020, including Wahlberg, or $202.
Others posted on Twitter about their random acts of kindness as a way to kick off the new year.
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