Drummond leaves $1,000 tip for waitress
Andre Drummond’s generosity is well-documented in his hometown of Middletown, where he has continually donated his time and money to causes through his NBA career.
On Sunday, that generosity was on full display at a Florida restaurant. Drummond dropped a $1,000 tip on a $164 check after dining on brunch at Che Restaurant in Delray Beach.
The restaurant and waitress, Kassandra Diaz, shared the story on Instagram. Diaz said she didn’t know who the 6foot-11 Drummond was until she saw the tip.
According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Diaz returned to the table and asked if Drummond intended to leave such a large tip.
“He said, ‘Of course, no problem,’ ” restaurant manager Jose Diaz told the Sun Sentinel.
In the restaurant’s Instagram post — in which Drummond was tagged — Kassandra Diaz described her reaction to the gesture:
“From a $160 check, the tip read $1,000. I was shaking and had tears of happiness after what he left me. I had no idea how to react, I didn’t want to draw attention but at the same time I couldn’t describe the amount of appreciation I had/have. It’s so amazing to see people displaying acts of kindness in these uncertain times. This is a story I will never forget, thank you again so much.”
Drummond responded to the post, “thank you for being amazing!”
Restaurant general manager Daniela Sujoy told the Sun-Sentinel that Diaz will keep the entire tip. Business at Palm Beach County restaurants has been slow, Diaz wrote in her post: “Today, started off as slow day at work getting there for my double shift. The past week, overall, has been pretty slow of course due to COVID. Restaurants and staff have been struggling, as you can imagine. Little did I know that today I would get a tip no server would guess that they would ever receive when they open that check book.”
Drummond, who was traded by the Detroit Pistons to the Cleveland Cavaliers in February, earned more than $27 million this season. He is a two-time All-Star and has been one of the NBA’s best big men since he was drafted out of UConn in 2012.
A native of Mount Vernon, N.Y., Drummond moved to Middletown when he was 7. His devotion to Middletown runs deep —
Drummond has continually donated to the Middlesex YMCA, where he has appeared to sign autographs and pose for pictures.
In April, Drummond made a $100,000 donation to Middlesex Healths Emergency Response Fund. The fund was established to offset expenses related the
coronavirus crisis.
The cause was personal for Drummond. His mother, Christine Cameron, spent 11 years as a patient care technician at Middlesex Hospital.
“Middletown is home to me,” Drummond told Hearst Connecticut Media. “I grew up there, went to school at UConn and my mother worked for Middlesex Health. So, donating and giving back to the community
was a pretty easy decision to make — especially during this pandemic. Connecticut is being hit hard by COVID-19 and I really wanted to give to the Middlesex Health Emergency Response Fund so those on the frontlines can get the proper equipment they need right now.”