Pregnant wife of deployed Marine receives generous tip at Utah restaurant
By Emily Tencer
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SPANISH FORK, Utah (KSTU) — A pregnant waitress whose husband is currently deployed overseas received a huge act of generosity from a random customer.
The sights, sounds, and smells of HuHot Mongolian Grill in Spanish Fork are a familiar setting for Breann Lindholm. It’s where she met her husband back in high school.
“He likes to be there and be able to provide and I know not being able to be here physically is hard,” she said.
Brian Lindholm is a United States Marine deployed at the base in Okinawa, Japan.
Breann is pregnant with their first child and Brian will still be overseas for the birth. She moved back home to Spanish Fork to be close to family during this time.
“I’m still really heartbroken about it. I just wish he could be there,” said Breann. “Cause you can’t get back your first kid. There’s no going back and having that experience again.”
Recently, Brian’s phone broke, creating a major hurdle in communication.
On April 21st, Breann’s first shift back at HuHot Mongolian Grill since high school, she met a customer and told him about her situation.
“When I finally got back over there to go clean my tables and pick up the check, I looked at it and I didn’t know whether or not I wanted to cry,” she said.
The man left behind an $800 tip with the note “Buy your husband a new phone. Thank you for the service!” written at the bottom.
“I went home and I was in tears,” said Breann.
“Just the nicest, sweetest girl,” said general manager Elijah Soosemea. “So definitely deserved.”
Soosemea said customers are touched by Breann’s story. Since then, tips have even been higher for everyone on staff.
“They’ve been calling the restaurant. People have been leaving notes, ‘Hey, my husband was stationed there, too’ or a guy was stationed there,” he said.
Breann didn’t get a name or a good look at the man who left the tip. She wants to thank him for his act of kindness.
“It meant a lot to both of us. Without it, we’d still be waiting to get that phone and still be struggling to talk with each other,” she said. “I was amazed by the generosity.”
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