As a member of one of the biggest boy bands to emerge from the '80s, New Kids on the Block star Donnie Wahlberg is no stranger to being the subject of front-page news.
While lots of celebrities make headlines for controversial reasons, Donnie has maintained a clean reputation under the spotlight and once again he's proving us right.
Earlier in the week, the singer and Blue Bloods actor stopped by the Waffle House in Edgewood, Maryland, with some crew members from their Total Package Tour for late-night nibbles and he made sure the staff on-duty were generously rewarded for making his night.
According to server Angi Silen, Wahlberg and his crew arrived in a "big old bus" shortly after 2:00 a.m. after NKOTB performed at the Verizon Center in Washington DC on the weekend.
"At first, I thought he looked familiar. Then I said to Tyler 'that's one of the Wahlbergs,'" Silen recalled. "He was really nice, pleasant. He joked around with us a little bit."
Apparently the two groups of four walked into the 24-hour restaurant and said something along the lines of "we're hungry, we're good people and we tip well."
Well, he certainly stuck to his word and his act of generosity is going viral.
Click on the next page to find out how Wahlberg's impromptu Waffle House visit is a night the staff won't soon forget.
Although they were initially worried about the size of Wahlberg's party, Silen, server Tyler Spangler and grill operator Nick Funk delivered an exceptional service and gave the group the space they needed to enjoy their meal.
"Me and Tyler shook his hand when he left, but we just left him alone and let him eat," she said. "He was just really nice, really laid back."
Wahlberg was so impressed with the staff's service that in addition to a heartfelt thank you, he left a $500 tip for them to split.
Wahlberg's generosity couldn't have come at a better time for some of the Waffle House employees.
Silen says her share of $166.67 will be put towards her rent.
"We weren't expecting it," Silen said. "I cried. It's a big thing for my family because we're going through tough times."
As for Funk, he plans on using his cut to cover some of his culinary school tuition this July.
Judging by Wahlberg's Twitter posts, it appears as though a Waffle House stop is part of the crew's tradition. A few days after his Edgewater stop, the singer shared another photo of his visit to a Toledo, Ohio location.
Some of the employees tweeted about their surreal experience.
There's no word on whether or not he left a big tip. Nonetheless, it wouldn't come as a surprise if he did.
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