New Kids on the Block’s Donnie Wahlberg got the royal treatment at Waffle House. So he decided to return the favor.
“My mom waited tables, and my dad tended bars– for years!” the Blue Bloods star wrote on Facebook. “So, when I walk into a #WaffleHouse, and the staff treats me like a king, you better believe I treat them like queens! Thanks to the team at @wafflehouseofficial Charlotte, NC! ??”
Wahlberg posted a picture showing he’d left a massive tip for the overnight servers. A whopping $2000 on the $82.60 check.
“Our sweet waitress was still shaking as she delivered our coffee,” Allison Kalama, a NKOTB fan, told CNN. She stopped by the restaurant after she saw the Facebook Live video Wahlberg made from his booth.
“They were screaming and cheering! It was very gracious and generous of him to leave such a great amount,” another fan Cindy Higashi told CNN. She’s from Hawaii but was in town for the band’s concert.
In the Facebook Live video, you can see Wahlberg telling a waitress she and her mom are getting tickets and backstage passes to see Thursday’s show.
“Jasmine, I’ll see you tomorrow! Tell your momma. Bring momma now!” he says.
Wahlberg and Waffle House go way back
This is not the first time the actor has made an appearance at the breakfast joint.
He’s been known to visit Waffle Houses around the country for years. He tweeted a picture outside one in Youngstown, Ohio, earlier this month.
“Another night … Another @wafflehouse!” Wahlberg wrote.
He typically makes a point of getting his servers’ names and making sure they feel his gratitude.
“Thanks to Bre, Kira & Marquan at Toledo, Ohio @WaffleHouse!” he wrote.
“I know him to have a huge heart and incredibly generous with both his time and affection,” Kalama said. “And apparently now his wallet as well.”
Pics or it didn’t happen
And what would an outing at Waffle House be without selfies?
Wahlberg snapped some shots with the waitresses and some longtime fans.
Kalama, who lives in Los Angeles, was in town with a friend and her family to see the band’s concert. She said Wahlberg walked over to the group and grabbed her friend Shiela’s camera.
“He was just relaxing with his entourage,” said Kalama, who saw him in Charlotte. “He told us to sit at the next booth when he was eating.”
And of course you’re wondering what Wahlberg had to eat. Customers tell us waffles, hashbrowns and coffee.
