Money

NYC bartender gets a $5,000 tip from a member of the 'PayPal Mafia'

Share
Caitlin Cahill works at Guyer's on the Upper West Side
CNBC Make It

One New York City-based bartender received an early holiday bonus this month in the form of a generous tip.

Caitlin Cahill was working at Guyer's on the Upper West Side on a slow Tuesday night when former PayPal executive Jack Selby walked in. He and a friend ordered $100 worth of drinks before leaving a whopping $5,000 tip.

At first, "I thought it was a prank," Cahill tells CNBC Make It. "He mentioned that he was with Tips for Jesus, but I thought that he was just messing with me."

The "Tips for Jesus" movement surfaced in 2013, when someone began leaving exorbitant gratuities of up to $5,000. The anonymous tipper signed the receipt "Tips for Jesus" and uploaded a picture of it onto an Instagram account.

In the most recent instance at Guyer's, Selby also wrote, "We Back!" on the receipt. It had been nearly a year since the Instagram account had added a new picture of a "Tips for Jesus" receipt.

Courtesy of Guyer's

Selby, a member of the "PayPal Mafia" — early members of the company who have since founded other successful tech companies — had been rumored to be the man behind the movement, but that was only confirmed recently, after he was spotted leaving the massive tip at Guyer's.

"What a cool thing, this guy Jack," owner Cindy Guyer told CBS News. "I'd like to meet him. I hope he comes back again."

Cahill, who has only been working at the Upper West Side bar for a couple of months, is excited to do some holiday shopping with her small windfall. She plans to donate a portion of it to charity, too.

And she's going to pay it forward. From now on, "I'm going to leave bigger tips," she tells CNBC Make It.

Like this story? Like CNBC Make It on Facebook!

Don't miss: This teen won the lottery twice in a week and made $655,555—here's how she can get even richer

Suze Orman reveals her biggest money mistake — and what you can learn from it
VIDEO1:0301:03
Suze Orman reveals her biggest money mistake — and what you can learn from it