£1,000 tip for £79 meal

In an extraordinary act of generosity, a wealthy businessman in Northern Ireland stunned the staff at an Indian restaurant after he left a 1,000-pound tip for them for a 79-pound meal. Workers at 'The Indian Tree' in Portadown were given the huge wedge by the generous customer after he paid for a 79.5 pound meal. The businessman, who lives abroad and wishes to remain anonymous, has been a fan of the restaurant's chef since 2002 and enjoys a meal there every time he is home, belfastlive.co. reported. He had been one of a family group of five when he pulled the chef aside to say thank you after his meal, it said. "He has been a loyal customer of Babu (the chef) since 2002 and since he moved abroad, when he flies home into Belfast, he would call and see what Babu is cooking," said Restaurant director Luna Ekush. "He comes in then goes home, it's amazing that he is so happy with the food and service and environment here. That day he pulled Babu aside and said he would like to say thank you and that he had a small token. We just turned and were like, 'That's not small, are you crazy?'," Ekush said. "We were all in shock but he took the machine and typed it in, he paid on card, and then he said, 'Now I would like to pay for my meal'," the director said, adding that though the customer wanted to stay anonymous but "we could not stay quiet about this." The Indian Tree has been open since September 2015.