Not only that, but it seems to me that the relative wealth of the patron is being inferred from the price of the meal. How do they know the patron was wealthy?
Because the employee of the guy wrote/broke the story, not the waiter.
“How do they know the patron was wealthy?”
Quite true; after reading the story and thinking about a “$133 bill for lunch” that’s either a lot of people, or an outrageously expensive restaurant, even for California. The tip could be a protest at being gouged by the bill.