Bartender Cindy Kienow, who works at an Applebee's in Hutchinson, Kan., said she's been waiting on her big tipper for three years.
Posted on 09/08/2006 12:38:51 PM PDT by freepatriot32
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (Sept. 7) - A bartender who last week was left a $10,000 tip by a regular customer now has more than the excitement of the offer: she has the cash.
Cindy Kienow received a check Tuesday from Applebee's franchise owner JS Ventures Inc. for about $6,300, her share of the tip after taxes.
The customer gave Kienow the hefty tip Aug. 27 on a $26 meal. But since he paid by credit card, the restaurant wanted to make sure it was a valid charge before giving Kienow the money.
"I've had a lot of fun," Kienow said of the last week, which has included interviews with media from across the globe. "A lot of customers are like, 'I can't afford to sit at the bar anymore.' It's been really crazy."
Restaurant officials have declined to identify the tipper.
"I hate to say it, but I really don't know him," Kienow said. "You become friends with your customers ... I think he just appreciated the fact that I took the time to talk with him."
Kienow, 35, said now that the media frenzy has died down, she is content to keep serving customers at the restaurant, where she has worked for the last eight years.
"That's the pure joy of my job, that I just get to talk with people," she said.
As for what she'll do with the money, Kienow has said she got the impression her customer wanted her to buy something special, adding that "there's a Jeep that I've had my eye on for a while."
9/7/2006 20:38:23
Bartender Cindy Kienow, who works at an Applebee's in Hutchinson, Kan., said she's been waiting on her big tipper for three years.
$6,300 is not a bad for a tip anyway. I'd be happy with it! :-)
I wonder if it's the first time she's paid taxes on her tips...
/johnny
It won't buy a Jeep.
No. The IRS makes sure that tips are taxed (or at least estimated before they're taxed). Can't miss any income.
That's why I usually tip in cash even if paying with the card (not that anyone's ever going to get a $10,000 tip from me....).
Sometimes the government really REALLY pisses me off.
And, thus, is another conservative made.
Shalom.
Still, for the feds to steal $3,700 from an honest working waitress amounts to highway robbery.
Another fine example of HOW families are being destroyed by the tax attornies - it takes both mother and father to make enough to try to feed and clothe one family.
Toss in the added cost if they actually want to educate their children and very few are left that can.
What she could have done with the rest of HER money .... it is now in the hands of ......
"I've had a lot of fun,"
For $10,000, SOMEBODY better have had fun.
This is a publicity stunt.
As a waiter, she will probably get a lot of that deducted tax refunded when she files next year as it won't push her into that high a bracket for the whole year.
The IRS just likes to make sure you know whose money it really is before they give you back any of it.
Don't worry, they'll give some of it back. Eventually. Without interest.
It's alot of money but I'm used to it. I get taxed alot and I don't make alot of money. But then I live in NY. LOL
Jenjis John and TeRAYza Heinz-Kerry pay an effective rate of about 12% on their income (I think that was the percentage - it came out during the 2004 campaign). Too bad the waitress can't afford an army of accountants and lawyers to show her how to shelter her income from the federal/state/local maw.
What is best for the waiter/waitress? Most times, I never put the tip on a card. I always leave cash and leave it up to the waiter/waitress to decide who gets what. But, there are times though where I'll pay a bare minimum tip with the card and leave some cash for the wait staff on the table.
The customere should have given this to her as a gift. In that case the $ 10 000 would have been free of taxes to both.
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