The story of the Arkansas waitress, who was fired hours after receiving a massive tip, has come to a happy end.
Ryan Brandt will celebrate Christmas as her good Samaritan wanted — she will get a nice sum of money and has landed another job.
Arkansas waitress Ryan Brandt fired after she received a whopping $4,400 tip.
Ryan Brandt became an overnight celebrity after her story went viral and sparked reactions all over the country.
In early December, Brandt, a waitress at Oven and Tap in Bentonville, Arkansas, served a large party of 40 people.
Brandt and the other server were rewarded in a significant way for their hard work — customer Grant Wise, who had organized the large dinner, tipped the pair $4,400.
To come up with an impressive amount, each diner gave $100 in tip money.
Wise called the restaurant before the dinner and requested that the tip goes to the two servers, and he was assured that it would happen.
Wise, a marketing expert, shared multiple videos on his Instagram page showing the emotional and joyful moment when the waitress discovered her good fortune.
Talking to local media, Wise explained how special the moment was: “It was an incredible thing to do, and to see her reaction was awesome, to see what that meant to her, the impact that it’s had on her life already.”
The podcast host said his group came out with the idea because they knew waiters were hit hard because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Brandt was stunned after being told to share the money with other employees who did not serve the large party.
The waitress not only declined to obey the restaurant’s manager’s instruction, but she informed Wise of the matter.
Brandt also took part in an interview explaining: “I was told that I was going to be giving my cash over to my shift manager, and I would be taking home 20 percent.”
Wise contacted the restaurant, took his money back, and gave the two servers what was promised to them.
Brandt’s refusal to obey the manager’s request led to her being fired the next day.
She had worked in the eatery for almost four years.
Restaurant defends its actions after firing waitress who got $4,400 tip.
The restaurant briefly explained what happened regarding Brandt’s departure in a statement.
They said: “After dining, this large group of guests requested that their gratuity be given to two particular servers. We fully honored their request. Out of respect for our highly valued team members, we do not discuss the details surrounding the termination of an employee.”
It is believed that Brandt was fired not for the money but because she contacted Wise and told him about the messy situation.
Ryan Brandt’s story gets a happy ending thanks to GoFundMe.
Wise has stepped in to ensure that Brandt gets the happy Christmas she deserves.
He launched a GoFundMe for Brandt and rapidly collected $8,732.
He explained his goal: “My only goal is to help her get through this experience with the least amount of stress and anxiety possible and onto whatever her next opportunity may be.”
Wise said he would no longer accept donations because good luck has descended on Brandt, who has landed a new job and is very happy for the opportunity.
