Phoenixville, Pa. waiter rewarded with $800 tip

PHOENIXVILLE, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- A community in Chester County came together to serve up a special surprise for a beloved waiter.

Zeyad Said is a beloved waiter at Bistro on Bridge in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania.

And on Thursday, he learned just how much he means to the customers he serves.

"It was just a normal table," recalled Said.

However, his customer was Chris Lerch who operates the group called Hello 422.

"It's a small business initiative to highlight small local businesses along Route 422," said Lerch.

Lerch was there at the Bistro specifically to see Said.

That's because he had come in as the winner of Hello 422's local waiter or waitress of the year.

"Z received a number of nominations from customers and from fellow staff members. He was the clear top choice from the nominations we received," said Lerch.

The moment when he was given his reward of an $800 tip was caught on camera.

"When I saw just a stack of 100s, I was like, 'Oh wow that's amazing.' An amazing night that's for sure," laughed Said.

We asked him what his secret to success is, though it seemed obvious while watching him work.

"I love what I do. I love people in general. So, I'm just a people person. I talk to everybody. So, I think that's what I came from," said Said.

But he also adds there's no substitution for a little elbow grease.

"I mean I work hard and that's the best thing," said Said.

The tip was made possible by donations from local businesses and just general residents of Phoenixville.

"Whatever he does with it hopefully it brings him a lot of joy because he brings joy to all of his customers," said Lerch.

Zeyad says it will be used for a much-needed trip.

"Honestly I love traveling. So, this is going to be a plane ticket somewhere-- Europe, Asia-- so it's definitely going to go towards that," said Said.