Because of the coronavirus, many businesses are finding it hard to stay afloat. Amidst all the economic downturn, bars and restaurants find themselves among the hardest hit. Thankfully, there are stories of local good news cropping up across the country. Like one couple from Texas, who managed to help out their favorite restaurant with a very generous tip of $9,400!
Answering A Call For Help
A few weeks ago, popular downtown Houston restaurant Irma’s Southwest announced it would shut its doors due to coronavirus. On the very last night that Irma’s dining room opened, a couple of regulars, who wish to remain anonymous, decided to visit the eatery. You see, they simply love the atmosphere at Irma’s and were not looking forward to getting takeout for the next few weeks. When it came time to pay the bill, the couple left the entire staff a surprise that shocked them all to their core…
On a $90.12 tab, the couple left a $7,500 tip on their credit card and left another $1,900 in cash. “We didn’t expect it, to be honest with you. They left a gratuity for the entire kitchen and service staff, which is unexpected,” Irma’s owner, Louis Galvan, said. “Hold tip to pay your guys over the next few weeks,” the husband of the couple wrote on the receipt. Suffice to say, the staff felt over the moon! In fact, some felt so grateful that they actually took a picture with the receipt!
As there are around 30 workers in the restaurant, each will receive about $300. “They were amazed that a client would care enough about them to leave that amount to help them get through this tough time,” Galvan recalled.
Staying Afloat
Unfortunately, at least right now, Galvan is not sure when he will be able to open the doors of Irma’s once again for the regular couple. According to his most recent estimates, he’s thinking another 15 days, if not longer.
“We’re just trying to make it to that window where everyone has a consistent paycheck,” Galvan said. As for now, like many other restaurants, Irma’s will offer takeout and delivery only. In fact, their staff spent a whole day preparing their place for the new mission while cleaning and disinfecting the kitchen. The menu will be limited but includes fajitas, their famous tamales, and other popular Mexican dishes.
“We’re not even worried about profitability at this point. We’re in survival mode,” Galvan told the Houston Chronicle. Meanwhile, the staff is staying loyal to their restaurant and the customers, coming to support their work even though they probably won’t have regular wages for now. “Ultimately, they’re volunteering because we have no idea how long we’re going to be in this situation. It could be 15 days, it could be 150 days, we don’t know,” Galvan stated. And while some places are closing down completely, he doesn’t want to leave his workers and customers without support.
“We’ve been in Houston since the ’80s and, we just want to make sure whether we’re doing 10 meals a day or 100 meals a day that we’re here for our residents as much as we can be,” he said.