Recent months have seen restaurant staff face difficult working conditions. Horacio Villalobos#Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images
On Tuesday, a diner left $10,000 to tip staff at a Florida restaurant.
Wahoo Seafood's owner said that he had expressed appreciation for what the group has gone through, according to Newsweek.
Restaurant workers have had to deal with COVID epidemics, maskless patrons and long hours during the pandemic.
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CBS4 reported that a diner left a $10,000 tip in Gainesville at a seafood restaurant.
Shawn Shepherd, owner of Wahoo Seafood told Newsweek that the diner wanted to see the 10 restaurant employees who were on duty during his Tuesday visit.
Shepherd stated that Shepherd appreciated their willingness to show up, and the hardships they have endured. He said he wanted to leave a $1,000 tip for everyone.
The diner, however, spent $144.66 for his meal. A photo of the receipt shared by the restaurant on Facebook shows this.
Shepherd said that this was the largest tip he had ever received from his staff in 35 years of owning the restaurant.
Shepherd wrote in a Facebook post that "the last year and half hasn’t been easy for this industry." "We are in pain and exhausted. But this amazing act of kindness has restored faith in humanity."
The restaurant industry has been devastated by the pandemic. According to Dataessential, between March 2020 and March 2021 one in ten US restaurants closed permanently. This led to thousands of layoffs.
Restaurants that were able to stay open have seen their staff deal with stressful work conditions, including COVID-19, maskless customers and a labor shortage.
Continue reading: How a small food-tech startup convinced industry heavyweights Chick-fil-A, Taco Bell and others to rely upon it to combat a labor shortage
Many white-collar workers worked from home during this pandemic. However, most restaurant staff continued to work in person. Many restaurants continued to offer delivery and takeout even when many states closed their restaurant dining rooms.
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According to a shocking report from UCLA and UC Berkeley, fast-food workers are "especially susceptible" to COVID-19 community transmission. The report revealed that around 15% of all coronavirus-related workplace outbreaks in Los Angeles County occurred between July 2020 and December 2020.
Restaurant staff also have to deal with more demanding and difficult customers.
KFC workers, for instance, claimed in an OSHA complaint she was threatened and harassed. She even got shot with a gun while on the job during the pandemic. A restaurant, however, told The New York Times that diners threatened to sue the restaurant if they weren't given the table they wanted.
Some diners are also ignoring COVID-19 safety precautions. Insider was told by a McDonald's employee aged 19 that she was attacked after asking for a mask from a customer. Insider's Allana Akhtar reported that customers threatened to spit on and cough at staff at The Alembic, San Francisco, after they were asked for proof of vaccination.
Some restaurant workers claimed they were afraid of having to enforce COVID-19 safety precautions, in the event they lose tips.
The labor shortage has also meant that the work hours of workers in the hospitality sector are longer and more difficult. CNN was told by a Tennessee server that the servers were stretched too thin, which results in poor service and lower tips.
One Massachusetts restaurant was even forced to close after rude diners made obscenities at staff. They told The New York Times that the wait times were longer and the menus were limited because of the shortage of staff and staffing.
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