Women Decide to Tip Like Crazy During Illinois Road Trip

Brandy Macumber, Tamara Bane of Iowa collected money via Venmo and gave it out
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 25, 2022 11:55 AM CDT
Updated Jul 30, 2022 9:20 AM CDT
Women Decide to Tip Like Crazy During Illinois Road Trip
   (Getty Images / junce)

Two Iowa women wrapped up their fourth "BFF Road Trip" on Monday, and this year's vacation involved something unusual: media attention. That's because Brandy Macumber and Tamara Bane of Winterset decided to pump up their travels to Illinois by adding a "Tip Our Next Server Mission," reports KCRG. The women started the You Can't Be Serious? Facebook page and an identically named Venmo (@youcantbeserious), where they're collecting money that they've used to tip restaurant waitstaff handsomely. They started last July 19, with Alexis—who has been "working her tail off" and has a three-month-old—being tipped $205 on a $53 tab. "We were so nervous we couldn't even hold the pen," the ladies wrote about the experience on Facebook. And the tips only got bigger.

As their Facebook page grew to nearly 3,000 followers and the donations came in, the tips went up. On night two, they left $530 on a $35 tab, and they left $1,015 on a $41 tab on night three. The night four recipient, Kelsey, was given a $985 tip on a $52 tab—and $1,000 in VISA gift cards that she wouldn't have to share with coworkers or pay taxes on. "We are two women who feel like there is a ton of negativity in the world, and we have both been waitresses before, and we know how much you make," they tell her on video. Kelsey responds by saying she's a college student who is working four jobs. The total tip for night five, including gift cards, was $2,760.

On night six, the final night, Macumber and Bane did something a little different. The total tip for the server was $1,810; the other servers, cooks, and dishwashers were given $150 each, for a $2,860 total. The grand total? $8,355. WGEM reports the money came from family and friends as well as donors, and that the women stayed in tents each night so they could direct as much money as possible to the restaurant staffers. (This restaurant server's massive tip turned out to be trouble.)

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