Syracuse, N.Y. — Two orders of bacon and eggs and a half frittata came to $33.97. Robin Schlesing, one of two waitresses serving at Gracie’s Kitchen on Christmas Eve, laid the check onto the table, thanked her customers for stopping by and wished them a merry Christmas.
Robin has worked at this diner at 527 Charles Ave. for four years, and she had never seen the two women and one gentleman sitting at the first table in front of the counter. She never forgets a customer, she says. As they walked out at 9:14 a.m., one of the women returned the check and an envelope with a handwritten greeting: “Happy Holidays!”
About 30 seconds later, Robin slammed the cash register drawer shut.
“Oh my God! No! I gotta have a hug,” she said, chasing after them into the parking lot. “Come back here.”
Inside that unsealed envelope was 10 $100 bills. The trio offered no explanation and gave no introductions. They did, however, indulge Robin and gave her a hug.
She returned to the waitress station with tears streaming down her left cheek.
“Who was that?” she asked the remaining 13 customers. “Does anyone know who those people are? I’ve never gotten a tip like that before. They’ve never been here before so it wasn’t for my bubbly personality.”
Her question got no response, other than an offer for another hug. Robin, 62, has been serving Central New Yorkers breakfast for 40 years. She took the customer up for that hug. She then gave the cook, the other waitress and the dishwasher each $100.
Robin had finished all her Christmas shopping, so she’s not going to the mall after her eight-hour shift. She’s going to her Syracuse home to spend Christmas with her three children and two grandchildren. She’s looking forward to telling her 12-year-old foster son that good things do happen to good people.
After refilling every mug in the dining room, she went to a walkie-talkie resting on a nearby counter. She says that’s her direct line to the North Pole.
“Santa? Santa, this is Robin. Are you there?” she said. “Santa, everything’s going to be OK.”
****
Charlie Miller finds the best in food, drink and fun across Central New York. Contact him at (315) 382-1984, or by email at cmiller@syracuse.com. You can also find him under @HoosierCuse on Twitter and on Instagram. Sign up for his free weekly Where Syracuse Eats newsletter here.
MORE CNY FOOD & DRINKS
9 mom-and-pop grocery stores in CNY where you can skip the supermarket struggle
13 iconic restaurants every Central New Yorker should try at least once
The 12 bars of Christmas: CNY spots that put you in the holiday spirit just walking through the door
A quintessential NYC bodega sandwich finally finds its way to Syracuse
First Look: Finally, Syracuse’s East Side gets an old-fashioned New York delicatessen
Ongoing series: First Looks in CNY
Ongoing series: Hidden Gems of CNY