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'I Hope Your Life Is Filled With Happiness': Waitress Brought to Tears After Couple Leaves Huge Tip

May 8, 2025

Today's good news story comes from Williamstown, West Virginia.

What started as a typical Sunday shift for one West Virginia waitress turned into a moment she’ll never forget, thanks to the unexpected kindness of two customers.

Manhattan Deming / Credit: WTAP

Manhattan Deming, who has been serving at DaVinci’s in Williamstown since February, was going about her day when a couple she was serving began asking her about her life. Their conversation quickly turned heartfelt.

“I told them about my daughter... and how I have goals,” Deming shared. “They asked me if I had goals and I said of course I’d love to be a nurse one day. That was my goal before I had been pregnant... but I had planned when it was feasible for me to go back to school.”

After a warm conversation, the couple handed Deming the receipt—but what she saw next stopped her in her tracks.

“He said that says $2,000,” Deming recalled. “I broke down right there. I couldn’t hold it in. That’s a once in a lifetime thing.”

Deming has faced her share of challenges while balancing work and raising her 3-year-old daughter, Journey. From spotty cell service making it hard to check in on her child during work, to putting her nursing dreams on hold, things haven’t been easy. But this generous tip has given her a new lease on hope.

“It gives me a whole new perspective,” she said. “They’ve really inspired me... to begin achieving my goals and bettering my daughter and my life.”

Before joining DaVinci’s, Deming worked as a Patient Care Technician in the Labor and Delivery unit of a local hospital, but had to leave due to scheduling challenges after her daughter was born. Now, thanks to this incredible gesture, she plans to return to school and pursue her dream of becoming a nurse.

“This is a blessing,” she said. “It’s going to help me with rent, bills, clothes for my daughter—just a cushion while I work toward school.”

Chris Bender, the owner of DaVinci’s, says Deming has a gift for connecting with guests.

“She just seems to interact really well, and they react really well back with her,” Bender said. “Customers love her.”

For Deming, the $2,000 tip is more than just money—it’s a reminder that good things come to those who wait.

“To the couple that came in here and blessed me like that, I hope that your life is filled with nothing but happiness and good things,” she said.

Watch the local news video below: