Anyone who has waited tables knows that the tough job comes with “high highs” and “low lows” aplenty. To illustrate this, we’ve shared with you many examples of the plights and blessings that are attached to the profession, from the downsides, like the all-too-common worst customers of all time, to the life-affirming upsides, like the best customers of all time who do everything they can to pay good service forward.

Today, we have a story for you that, fortunately, details the latter. It happened at a restaurant in Houston, Texas during the holiday season, a key time for servers to profit from the kindness of customers. Though this usually means an extra couple bucks here and there, one lucky guy was actually able to score a tip so massive, it could cover his plane ticket home.

Let us set the scene: 22-year-old Ben Millar, an Irishman living and working in Texas happened to tell a customer that his girlfriend was pregnant with their first child, but that his family had yet to even meet his love.

In an interview with ABC News, he recalled the interaction. “I jokingly said, ‘I wish I could go back that often to see my family,” Millar reported. “I thought nothing of it, and we all joked after. The night went on, and I proceeded to give good service and talk to them.”

But, after the kind customers had left, Millar noticed something incredible when he was clearing their table. On the receipt, the paying diner left a whopping tip of over 600%. Now, if that’s not the “luck of the Irish,” we don’t know what is…

“My initial reaction was shouting, ‘Holy s—!’” Millar said. 

Holy s—! indeed. Though we’re not prone to cursing, we’re not too proud to admit that we would likely have the exact same reaction he did.

In a Facebook post that has since gone viral, Millar’s girlfriend, Taryn Keith, posted the receipt that turned out to be their ticket to Ireland. On it, we learn that a man by the name of Jeffrey scrawled this message: “Hopefully, this can get you back to Ireland for the holidays.” Alongside the image of the receipt, Keith wrote this sweet message:

My boyfriend got this tip last night at work. He’s from Ireland and is trying to take us back there once Killian is born so we can meet his family. Thought I would share it to show everyone that’s there is not only hate out there. Truly blessed.

We’re so happy to hear that this young family feels so blessed by the incredibly generous gesture. It sounds like that massive tip sure meant an awful lot to them. To learn even more about this display of supreme kindness, be sure to watch the video below!

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this heartwarming story! Are you surprised that a stranger would add such a high tip to a bill? Has anyone ever done something similar for you before? Have you done something similar for someone else?