Customer at pizzeria leaves two $1,000 tips
By Kara Spak Chicago Daily Herald Staff Writer

Nick's Pizza & Pub in Crystal Lake apparently has a loyal customer with deep pockets and an even deeper appreciation for good service.

On Friday, servers Aimee O'Claire and Georgeann Escorza each received a $1,000 tip - passed from the customer, who requested anonymity, to owner Nick Sarrilo, who surprised the two waitresses with the money at a regular meeting held before weekend shifts.

"We were both in tears," said O'Claire, whose previous top tip was $60 after working at a party. "I have no clue who this came from. Not any."

Sarrilo said he was approached earlier in the week by the customer, who singled out the two women, in part because they are both single mothers.

Sarillo held on to the tips until Friday, the first time both waitresses were working together.

"We have the meetings so I can tell them what the specials are," Sarillo said. "That was the special Friday. There was just a buzz in the restaurant the whole night."

Sarrilo said that another customer left a $500 tip several months ago.

"That says a lot about the actual community that this happened two times in six months," he said. "The people of Crystal Lake are very nice, very generous people."

He added that the customer requested anonymity because "he wants to come back, but he doesn't want to be hassled."

O'Claire plans to spend $500 on Christmas gifts and save the rest. She couldn't pinpoint the secret of her serving success.

"I really don't know," she said. "I'm just doing my job."

On Saturday afternoon, O'Claire was again just doing her job, serving a table of regulars who stop for lunch at Nick's every weekend.

"She's organized and efficient," Ray Romnayk, a Lake in the Hills resident, said of O'Claire.

His friend Bill Odom agreed, adding despite her stellar service, "she's not getting $1,000 from me."