LOS ANGELES (KCAL, KCBS) -- Wanting to do the right thing, a Texas man mailed US$50 to Langer’s Deli after he couldn’t remember if he tipped his server. ESPN writer Roberto Jose Andrade-Franco was in Los Angeles for work when he stopped at the MacArthur Park restaurant with friends. After trying the world-famous pastrami, he said he got distracted as he was saying goodbye. “It wasn’t until I was on the road that I was like, ‘Oh man, did I remember the tip?” he said. “It kept bothering me to the point that I just wanted to make sure I sent the tip in.” For Andrade-Franco, the possible mistake was personal after reflecting on his experience as a former restaurant server. “I for sure didn’t want to be that person to this server,” he said. Along with the $50, Andrade-Franco mailed a letter with just enough clues for owner Norm Langer to track down the server. “It’s something that really made me feel good,” Langer said. “A letter of apology that he was here to eat and he was 75 per cent sure that he left that $20 for the server, but he wasn’t sure. So, he sent a $50 bill for me to give the server.” The woman who got the tip didn’t want to go on camera, but her coworkers said if anyone deserved the surprise, it was her. “She does so much for this place,” server Frank Worster said. “Helping out in little places. People come to see her for years. She’s just a great person.” Langer said it’s still unclear if Andrade-Franco left a tip originally since it was a cash transaction, but the restaurant owner said he might fly out to El Paso to meet the man himself. “He’s obviously welcome here,” Andrade-Franco said.
