Mystery diners leave waitress $10,000 tip at Gilson South Yarra, Melbourne

A waitress working at a trendy inner-city eatery was given a staggering $10,000 tip by a group of diners who feasted on steak and pasta.

Lauren, was lead waitress for a table of four people at Gilson in Melbourne‘s South Yarra on Saturday afternoon, and they were so impressed the businessman offered the huge sum when they paid for the $500 meal.

The shocked uni student explained to the group that staff share tips between the restaurant’s 23 staff, however the man paying said he’d only leave a tip if she got 70 per cent of it, or $7,000.

Other staff said she burst into tears when she realised how much she’d been given, after checking that she understood what she was getting.

‘I made them say the number out loud because I thought ‘what if I have just gotten too excited and I’ve stupidly read an extra zero or something like that, ‘ she told the Herald Sun.

Melbourne student Lauren was offered a wild $10,000 tip while waitressing but insisted some of the money should go to her colleagues. She ended up with $7000

Lauren, was lead waitress for a table of four people at Gilson in Melbourne’s South Yarra on Saturday afternoon, and they were so impressed the businessman offered the huge sum when they paid for the $500 meal

Her haggling meant the other staff received $3,000 to share – $136 each.

Gilson is a trendy Italian eatery frequented by social media models, influencers and reality TV stars.

Restaurant staff were ‘in pure shock’ for half an hour after the group left, said another waitress who worked Saturday, also named Lauren.

‘Lauren’s a great waitress and it’s a wealthy area, that has to be taken that into consideration,’ she said.

‘We have high net worth customers and hatted restaurants next door. And the tipper was a successful businessman.’

She said the table that tipped so extravagantly was a walk-in group and not regulars.

They spent a total of $500, on steak and pasta and one drink each.  

Lauren who received the big tip cut back to part-time work hours in the restaurant after receiving the cash, so she could spend more time on her studies, staff said.

She described Gilson’s wait staff as ‘a tight-knit family’ in which all staff would want to share at least some of their tips.

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Lauren admitted she had to ask the businessman to repeat the tip out loud in case she’d misheard it

Restaurant staff were ‘in pure shock’ for half an hour after the big tipper left

Gilson owner Jamie McBride was delighted to see his staff get extra recognition. 

‘(It’s) very pleasing, it makes the team feel really special when they’re acknowledged, especially when no one’s ever expecting anything like that,’ he said.

The tip produced a welcome piece of good news for Mr McBride who in 2021 was fined $204,000 for underpaying staff.

A Fair Work Investigation found Gilson underpaid vulnerable international visa holders by $53,850 in six months from December 2017 to July 2018.