It’s not Thanksgiving yet, but actor Donnie Wahlberg showed his gratitude towards his favorite waitress at Marshland Restaurants and Bakery in Cape Cod by leaving her a huge tip.
On Nov. 12, the Massachusetts restaurant posted a copy of the New Kids on the Block star’s receipt on Instagram, revealing he had left a tip for $2,020 on a $35 lunch bill.
“A very special thank you to our friend @donniewahlberg!” read the caption of the post. “When asked about it all he said was ‘who’s up next?!'”
The establishment’s owner Marty Finch told People that Donnie had specifically asked for his regular waitress Denise Andrews before sitting down for his meal.
“When he left he just said, ‘Denise, you’re all set. The payment is on the table,'” he explained. “She always says he’s a very good tipper anyway but her jaw dropped, to say the least, when she saw that amount of tip.”
Donnie’s generosity is part of the “2020 tip challenge,” which originated in January when a waitress in Michigan revealed she had received a $2,020 tip from an anonymous couple with the words “2020 tip challenge” written on the bill. Donnie saw the news story and decided to run with it, later leaving a tip of that amount to his server at IHOP. His wife Jenny McCarthy praised Donnie for his generosity on Twitter.