Hey big tipper! Gibsons restaurant staff surprised with $100,000 gratuity!

Every restaurant dreams of having satisfied customers but Gibsons Chicago Steakhouse could never have expected the level of gratitude shown by one loyal customer on a recent cold, windy night. Jimmy John Liautaud, founder of Jimmy John’s sandwich shops, wanted to honor his late father with a tribute dinner for friends. He had called ahead and asked Kathy Piccone if it would be possible to put up a photo of his dad on the wall before the dinner which she of course, did. When the group arrived, tears flowed after seeing the photo of this much-loved man. 

So on this night, in honor of his dad, Jimmy and son Freddy decided to give something back to the people who had been so kind to his father throughout the years. He left a tip of $100,000 to be divided among the staff.

Jimmy John Liautaud founded Jimmy John’s in 1983 at age 19, with the first shop in Charleston, Illinois. He had graduated at the bottom of his class so, after high school, he had two options- join the military or open a business. He opted for sandwiches.

“I’m living the American Dream, but my life didn’t start out that way. Up until my teenage years, family life was very stressful due to serious financial losses,” Liautaud said. Well, he has since corrected this situation in a big way. Jimmy John’s Sandwich Shops now has 2,634 franchises across 45 states.

Jimmy, your dad taught you well. Having business smarts is well and good, but having a big heart is even better.

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