A rival “tip war” that’s been escalating for nearly a month has now generated over $34,000 for Cincinnati restaurant workers struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It all started on January 9, when one Xavier University alum in town wanted to show his daughter the school ate lunch at Cincinnati staple Zip’s Cafe. After chatting with his server, a fellow Xavier alum, the man left a $1,000 tip on a $54.59 bill and a note on a napkin that said: “Please share this tip with all of your employees as they work so hard and are dealing with COVID. Go Xavier!”
The restaurant shared news of the generous tip on Facebook — unbeknownst to them, inspiring two University of Cincinnati fans to one-up the Xavier tipper.
“Earlier this week I saw a Xavier fan tip $1,000 at Zip’s. I believe now more than ever we need to support our local restaurants. Let’s see how long we can keep this going,” the guests wrote on a note, along with a tip for $1,001, to the Keystone Bar & Grill on January 14. “Bearcats up by 1!!”
In the weeks since, in what’s become known at turns as the “Crosstown Tip-Off Challenge” and the “Crosstown Tip Wars,” Xavier and Cincinnati fans have been egging each other on to the tune of $34,252.06 total, according to an ABC News count as of February 6.
The highest tip reported so far appears to be for $2,500, left at Kirby’s in Loveland on February 5 with just “GO UC!!!” written on the receipt.
What makes Cincinnati’s hometown rivalry so unique, says Zip’s Cafe owner Mike Burke, is the proximity: The schools are fewer than three miles apart.