Coronavirus: Florida pizza shop owner gets $1,000 tip from longtime customer

SANFORD, Fla. — A Florida pizza shop owner got a generous donation from a longtime customer just minutes after he gave a hungry stranger a couple of slices of pizza for free.

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Alfredo Colimodio is like many small business owners these days just trying to keep the lights on.

On Monday, he was prepping to open for the day at the Sanford Pizza Company when he noticed a man who was even more down on his luck.

“He was 100% honest, and he’s like, ‘I’m just hungry, and you can just give me whatever you have -- just one slice,’ and I told him: ‘Don’t worry, just give me a couple of minutes. Let me heat it up for you and I’ll give it to you,’” Colimodio said.

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What happened next gave Colimodio hope.

Five minutes after he gave the stranger his two slices of pizza, a longtime customer walked into the store.

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“I kind of know what he orders all the time, and I said, ‘You want me to get you the same thing?’ And he said, ‘No man, today I’m not buying anything.’ ‘So, what can I do for you?’ So, he goes: ‘You know, I feel so bad I’ve been watching you for the last two weeks; how you guys are working with no employees. Now you are probably half your staff, and it breaks my heart,'” Colimodio said.

The longtime customer told Colimodio that he reminded him of himself when he owned a restaurant years ago.

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“He says, ‘I just want to give you $1,000.’ And of course, it took me like a second to digest what he was telling me, and I asked: ‘What do you mean about $1,000 you want to do a catering order or something?’ And he’s, like, ‘No, I just want to give you $1,000. I just want to help you out,’” Colimodio said.

The good Samaritan put it on his credit card and tacked on an extra $100 to help cover credit card fees.

“I’m like, ‘How can I repay you back?' And he’s like: 'Keep doing what you are doing. If you see someone hungry and a lot of people sick, my problems are nothing,’” Colimodio said.

“I’ve had a couple $100 tips here and there, but $1,000, it means a lot. That is my next week’s payroll. I’m going to be able to do it because of his generosity,” Colimodio said.

The customer who gave the donation wanted to remain anonymous.