Tipper too good to be true

Melanie's boss says the bank will not honour the tip...

A Chicago waitress who got the tip of a lifetime had a nasty shock when the customer's generosity turned out to be bigger than his wallet.

I got a good tip for good service

Melanie Uczen

London visitor David Nicholas rounded up his $9 bill for three Long Island ice teas to an even number - but in this case that even number was an incredible $10,000.

But 23-year Melanie Uczen appeared to be out of luck when Mr Nicholas' London bank refused to honour the transaction, saying that he had gone over the spending limit on his credit card.

Now the owner of the Leg Room has said that he will pay her the tip anyway, if Mr Nicholas does not honour the payment.

Ambition

... but it will be OK, because the bar will give her the tip

Ms Uczen said that Mr Nicholas was a "well-dressed, good-looking" man with a British accent who worked as a doctor or in the medical field and was travelling on business.

She told him and his two male companions about her ambition to take a postgraduate course in psychology and he responded with the tip and the advice to go back and study.

Although she turned down his offer to go out to breakfast, he told her she was a "wonderful" waitress and deserving of the tip.

"I got a good tip for good service," she said.

David Nicholas ran up a $9 tab at The Leg Room

Even if Mr Nicholas is not as good as his word, the bar's owners will pay up - but only after trying to track the errant tipper down.

"The manager made a copy of his passport and he signed a sheet saying 'I agree to tip Melanie, etc.,'" said Lauri DeGiacomo of Ala Carte Entertainment, owner of the Leg Room.

A lawyer was trying to track Mr Nicholas down to see if he was going to honour the transaction.

"We are going to give Mr Nicholas one week to make good on his commitment. If he doesn't, we are going to give her the $10,000 tip," said Leg Room manager Shawn Krutsinger.