Sixteen people walked into a restaurant.

It sounds like the beginning of a joke. Except there is no punchline – just simple kindness.

So, after the 16 people were seated, they ordered breakfast. And what they did next changed someone’s life.

Roberto Rivas is a full-time Spanish teacher at a high school in Norwood, Mass. To make ends meet, he spends his weekends working at two different restaurants, one an IHOP.

After he finished serving breakfast to the large group of 16, they called him over.

“We have something for you,” the customer, Richard Brooks, told Rivas. “The only reason we came to breakfast today was to give you this tip.”

Brooks then pulled out 16 $100 bills, counting out each one and handing it to Rivas. It was to him from the “$1,000 Breakfast Club. Each person had donated $100.

The 29-year-old server found himself in tears.

Rivas, along with four of his family members, had immigrated from Venezuela to the United States in 2022. He had been working to buy hearing aids for his mom, and with the surprise tip from Brooks and his friends, Rivas could finally afford them.

Members of the $1,000 Breakfast Club with their IHOP server at their first get-together. Photo courtesy of Laurie Brooks

“Sixteen hundred dollars is unheard of,” he said. “Servers work hard, but a tip this large is rare. I’m still amazed they wanted to surprise me like this.”

For Brooks, a lawyer, it’s always been about bringing joy to someone’s life.

“For years, I’ve given out single $100 bills to people at random in appreciation for a job well done, or just to brighten their day,” he said. “More than anything, I’ve enjoyed watching the look on their faces as I hand them the money.”

When his brother mentioned how he had been tipping waiters large amounts, Brooks immediately wanted to do the same. “It just hit me that this was a great idea and I should do something with it,” he said.

So Brooks posted on Facebook, reaching out to see if anyone else wanted to join him.

“I want to start a group to go to breakfast, 10 of us, and we each bring $100 to tip the waiter,” Brooks wrote.

“The Thousand Dollar Breakfast Club. Anyone can go,” he added. “We will find a small place where the server will be shocked to get $1,000. It will be a fun quick morning breakfast and will blow the mind of the server!”

At the first breakfast, 10 people, including a few people he didn’t know, showed up for the first breakfast.

“I chose IHOP since they take bigger tables and I also knew that breakfast was a time when waiters aren’t making as many tips because the bill is usually lower than for lunch or dinner,” Brooks said.

When he thanked the server and handed her $1,300, “the look of surprise on her face and the happy look on everyone’s face at the table told me we were on the right track,” Brooks said. “It’s a great pleasure to give money to people you don’t know.”

Roberto Rivas, right, with Richard Brooks, the founder of the $1,000 Breakfast Club. Photo courtesy of Laurie Brooks

Each time they group would meet for breakfast, they would ask for one waiter only to serve their table.

“A thousand-plus dollars is a lot of money, but it doesn’t go as far if a bunch of people are sharing it,” Brooks said. “By giving it all to one person, you’re doing something that could make a difference in their life.”

With about 20 people in the breakfast club, there is a rotating cast of who goes each time. But regardless, Brooks always pays for the breakfast for the members.

“They chose to come and give away $100 to make someone happy, so it’s the least I can do,” he said.

Janet Meaney, 73, who was one of the first members to join, agreed.

“It’s a small effort for us, but the impact it has on those recipients is huge,” she said. “It’s a wonderful way to thank hard-working people.”

Watch below as the group hands out money and brightens the day of hard-working waiters and waitresses.

Sources: Washington Post | WCVB