Waiter's $5,000 Tip For A $27 Meal: Greg Rubar Told to 'Buy A New Car'

A Houston waiter received a $5,000 tip from a generous couple who paid $27 for their meal at a Rice Village restaurant on Tuesday.

Greg Rubar, a waiter at D'Amico's Italian Market, received the tip from a married couple -- regular customers of his -- who told him to buy a new car.

The waiter of 16 years knew the envelope contained money, but he wasn't sure of the amount until half an hour after he received it, when he checked its contents in the bathroom, KHOU reported.

I looked at it and I could tell it was $5,000 because it was still wrapped, it still had the band on it from the bank. Rubar told the local paper.

The couple asked him to a buy a new car knowing that his had been destroyed in recent thunderstorms in Houston, according to Rubar. He had been struggling with transportation and even had to borrow his boss' car, Examiner.com reported.

Rubar was speechless at the goodwill gesture and says he will buy a car with the generous tip.

The couple, who do not want to be identified, thought anyone who has worked as hard and as proficiently as Rubar has for so long, shouldn't be punished for something so out of his control. They had gone to the restaurant that night to present him with the money, D'Amico's restaurant said in a press release.

Generous tipping seems to be something of a trend these days. A customer at Killen's Steakhouse left a $2,922.69 tip for a $12,000 tab, last week, according to Examiner.com.