TikToker stuns waitress with huge, crowdsourced tip

A TikToker has gone viral once again after surprising a local waitress with a massive tip she sourced with the help of her 228,000 followers.

Lexy Kadey, a filmmaker who graduated from Lindenwood University in 2017, shared an emotional video of herself giving a $628 tip to a waitress at the Cheesecake Factory in Baltimore, Md.

After explaining to the waitress that the funds were the result of her recent “Venmo challenge,” Kadey tells her that she is the lucky recipient of this week’s prize.

“No way! I don’t believe you,” says the waitress, who can be seen smiling even under her protective face mask. “Y’all are gonna make me faint.”

The waitress, who later revealed she has one daughter and was expecting another child, then hugs Kadey and her fellow diners to thank them.

@lexylately

You all are the reason this has kept going, we have one more recipient to come for round 4! Happy #4thOfJuly #fyp #serialtipper #lexylately #venmo

♬ Surrender – Natalie Taylor

TikTok users praised Kadey for organizing the giveaway, which was apparently the 10th in a series of similar huge tips.

“She was so deserving,” wrote one user on the video, which has since been viewed over 1.5 million times. “This is the positivity we need in this dark world.”

“I’m a server myself, an receiving any tip above the norm makes our day,” commented another. “I don’t think people understand how much we actually depend on our tips.”

“I live in Baltimore, and have had her as a server plenty of times,” shared a Cheesecake Factory diner. “She really is deserving of this, thank y’all so much.”

Kadey first kicked off her Venmo challenge in May, after watching other TikTokers successfully use the platform to crowdsource funds for things like plastic surgery and new cars. However, instead of keeping the funds, the filmmaker said wanted to “switch it up a little bit” and use the challenge to do something good for others.

“Saturday night, my husband and I are going out to finally celebrate my birthday that was back in April,” she explained in a May 26 video. “A good portion of servers in Nashville are struggling artists and a lot of them have had their shows canceled for the rest of the year. So, we are going to turn someone’s night around. If every follower Venmos me 50 cents, we could leave a massive tip for somebody who has probably been through a lot.”

Kadey later updated followers that she was able to raise a whopping $3,021 total, which her followers suggested she divide in order to tip three separate servers $1,007 — a life-changing sum for most.

“Times are crazy right now, but you guys have given me so much hope and it literally makes me want to tear up,” she said in a big reveal video after the initial fundraiser.

In three subsequent videos, Kadey shared the reactions of the lucky servers who received the first round of tips — Jessie from Double Dogs, Kellie from Superica and Tabitha at Big Bad Breakfast — all of whom were stunned by the generous act.

The Venmo challenge was so well received by her followers and other Tiktokers that Kadey immediately launched a second fundraiser to keep the giveaway going.

She is currently in the process of her fifth round of crowdsourcing, which ends on July 10. To learn how to contribute, head over to her profile.

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