Server Raises Thousands For An Anti-Bullying Charity After What A Customer Wrote On His Receipt Instead Of A Tip
He turned a negative into a major positive and sent a pointed message in the process.
JohnnyGreig | Getty Images Signature | Canva Pro After Noah Bierig, a Kansas server, got a homophobic slur for a tip, he used the virality of his post about it to raise thousands of dollars for LGBTQ anti-bullying charity GLSEN.
Bierig was left shocked and hurt after an incident with a bigoted customer while working one of his shifts. But after a social media post about it went viral, he quickly turned it into a force for good — and a pointed message for the man who verbally attacked him for no reason.
A bigoted customer wrote a homophobic slur on server Noah Bierig's receipt instead of a tip.
Nineteen-year-old Noah Bierig was working his usual Sunday shift at the Wichita Bubba's 33 location when he received a truly terrible tip — far worse than simply writing a 0 on the tip line.
Bierig told Wichita's KAKE that the vibes seemed off at the table almost immediately. He noticed the customers eyeing his painted nails and Pride bracelet, a gift from his mom, with derision, and he could tell they were mocking him.
"The first time I went up to the table, they were just shooting me a couple dirty looks," he said. "And every time I would walk away, they would kind of just start laughing a little bit."
But it got far worse after the customers left. When Bierig picked up the credit card slip, the customer wrote a common three-letter epithet for gay people on the tip line instead of a gratuity.
Bierig was shocked and hurt by the situation, and people online quickly tracked down the man who insulted him.
At just 19, Bierig had never experienced anything but support for his LGBTQ+ identity. The experience with his customer was a rude awakening. "I'm not the type to cry at work," he told KAKE, "but I gotta say, that was definitely the first time that had happened to me. I'm not used to sort of blatant homophobia like that."
After the receipt was posted online, social media users quickly tracked down the man who recanted the slur in a Facebook post.
I know it was wrong of me to write what I did and for that I am very sorry," James Blick wrote. "The overall dining experience wasn't that great and I shouldn't have dealt with it by saying what I did."
He went on to say that his wife's business has suffered because of the criticism and that he hopes "people can find it in their hearts to forgive me, I want to make this right." He has since deleted his social media accounts.
After both posts went viral, the Proud of Wichita, the city's LGBT Chamber of Commerce, set up a fundraiser for Bierig where donors could send a "tip" to Bierig to make up for the homophobic man's lack of one.
Rather than take the money, Bierig is donating all of it to GLSEN's anti-bullying initiatives.
Right from the start, Bierig was emphatic about not wanting the tip money. He told KAKE, "Whatever comes out comes from that, it's going to be donated," explaining that he intended to send the money to the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, a nonprofit organization that works to keep LGBTQ+ kids safe in schools.
"It's essentially an anti-bullying organization," Bierig said. "It helps out kids who are LGBT kids, specifically who are getting bullied in school, and it helps them out."
And for scores of people in Wichita and online, that was all they needed to hear. Within days of the incident, Bierig said that an "insane" number of donations had come through. "I've never actually gotten a 100% tip," he told KAKE, "and at this point, it's probably about a 3,000% tip."
Proud Wichita announced that more than $2,000 had been donated as of July 29, 2024, from "hundreds of small-dollar tips from Wichita and around the world." That number is set to at least double.
Not only is the fundraiser still live, but Bierig's employer, Bubba's 33, announced it will match whatever Bierig donates to GLSEN, doubling the impact.
Bierig said he hopes that this will turn a profoundly hurtful experience into a force for good that will show other LGBTQ+ young people "that no matter what, you'll always be able to find your support even if you think that there isn't any more in the world," and that it will show other that "love is always the most important thing."
Here's hoping the customer who started it all gets that message as well.
John Sundholm is a news and entertainment writer who covers pop culture, social justice and human interest topics.