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Tips For Jesus: Mystery Man Gives Up To $10,000

Tips For Jesus: Mystery Man Gives Up To $10,000

A mystery benefactor has been leaving huge smiles in restaurants across the US - by giving staff tips of up to $10,000.

Each receipt is stamped with the handle @tipsforjesus and bears an illegible signature, sometimes next to the words "God bless".

The tipper also takes photographs of smiling restaurant workers holding the bills and posts them on an Instagram account that has attracted more than 54,000 followers.

The feed comes with the tagline: "Doing the Lord's work, one tip at a time."

The trail of generosity stretches from coast to coast and down to Mexico - all charged to American Express.

The last tip was on Sunday when a man left a $5,000 gratuity on a US$112 bill at the Seagrape in Fairfield, Connecticut.

Before that, three Manhattan restaurants were picked.

A waiter at the NoMad Hotel got a $7,000 tip, another at The Smith restaurant was left $3,500, and $1,000 went to Aruj Dhawan, a 25-year-old student working at Bo's Kitchen & Bar Room.

Mr Dhawan served three men who ordered a bourbon, a beer, a starter, a pork ragout and a pork chop. Their bill came to $111.05, plus a $1,000 tip.

Again, before leaving, the tipper snapped a photo of the waiter holding the receipt and posted it on Instagram.

A $1,000 tip also went to a waiter at the Hungry Cat in Los Angeles after three men finished their dinner, said restaurant spokeswoman Jannis Swerman. One of them stamped the bill with @tipsforjesus.

In another photo, a bartender at Crudo restaurant in Phoenix beams looking at his $2,500 tip.

Micah Olson said a middle-aged man and woman came in and sat at the bar drinking expensive whisky.

The man then paid for their $530.67 bill using an Amex Black Card - an invitation-only card issued to rich clients.

"When they left, I saw the tip and I went, 'Wow!'" said Mr Olson, 35. "I hope one of these days, we'll find out who he is."

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