Donnie Wahlberg Shows His Kind Heart By Giving Out Thousands Of Dollars In Tips To Servers

Oct 24, 2022

American singer-songwriter Donnie Wahlberg has been a crush for many teenage girls, especially during the heyday of the boy group he was a founding member of, New Kids on the Block, during the late '80s to the early '90s. But Wahlberg is more than just eye candy – he also has a good heart.

We’ve heard stories about people in the food and hospitality business receiving a generous amount of money as tips from customers for their exemplary service. Wahlberg is no stranger to this as he's generously tipped servers in the past. Back in 2020, he hopped on the 2020 Tip Challenge and rewarded a waitress with a generous amount. 

It all started when Wahlberg, his wife and son, and his son’s friends went to an IHOP branch near his home to grab breakfast for the day.

The waitress, who happened to be a huge fan of Wahlberg, panicked after finding out the American singer-songwriter was sitting at her table.

Bethany Provencher admitted that she got starstruck when she walked up to Wahlberg's table. So she immediately went to the bathroom to call her mom and tell her about the exciting news. 

“I freaked out and called my mother in the bathroom. ‘Ma, Donnie Wahlberg’s at my table,” Provencher told ABC 7 Chicago in an interview.

“My mom stayed in the line for 3-4 hours for tickets to go see him for me when I was a kid,” Provencher revealed.

“I went to two of his concerts and he looked at me twice. I know he looked at me. I know he did,” she added. 

Provencher, who couldn’t contain her excitement at that time, told her manager about the exciting news. But her manager reminded her to “play it cool.”

Provencher said she did the best she could to provide them with the best service possible. So when Wahlberg and his companions left, she received a well-deserved reward.

“He folded up the receipt and he gave it to me, and told me not to open it until he left. I said ‘okay, thank you, guys, come again. I’ll take care of you again.’ Then I open it, and I almost fell to the floor,” she said.

As soon as Wahlberg left, she opened the receipt and was surprised after receiving a tip 25 times the amount they paid for their breakfast.

They only ate $78.45 worth of breakfast meals. But Wahlberg and his wife left Provencher a whopping amount for a tip: they gave her $2,020.  

“I just started crying. I couldn’t believe it. I mean, who does that? It was a blessing,” she said. “I just moved into an apartment, I’m a single mother — by myself with my son. So I struggle every day to make ends meet. And now I can buy furniture and put some money in the bank, and make sure my son is good.” 

Wahlberg’s wife Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg took to Twitter to share what her husband did, along with their credit card receipt. It also came with a handwritten message from Wahlberg, thanking their waitress for her service.

“@donniewahlberg starting 2020 off like the amazing man he is,” McCarthy-Wahlberg wrote in her tweet. Wahlberg also greeted Provencher on the receipt, with “Happy New Year” along with a message that said “2020 Tip Challenge.”

It wasn’t the first time Wahlberg paid it forward. In 2017, he surprised Waffle House night shift employees with a $2000 tip and front-row tickets and backstage passes to his band’s tour.

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