$1K 'Tip Bomb' is a Perfect Holiday Surprise for Virginia Waiter

RESTON, VA — The tip bombers have struck again, extending their streak of surprising a random, unsuspecting waiter or waitress with a ginormous tip during the holiday season to 13 years.

The latest bombshell from the anonymous group of diners happened Thursday at Kalypso's Sports Tavern at Lake Anna Village Center, 1617 Washington Plaza N.

Mervin Macklin was the waiter during the lunch rush. His tip? $1,041.

Although the group of friends prefers to be anonymous, it actually has a website, tipbombs.com, and here's how it reported its deed:

"Last year we tipped Richard an astonishing 582% tip, or $1,601 tip on a $275 bill at Glory Days Grill in Fairfax County’s Reston, Virginia.

"This year TIPBOMB XIII delivered solid results with a 550% tip for our amazing server Mervin at Kalypso’s Sports Tavern located at Lake Anne Plaza in Reston, VA."

So they're not exactly shy about publicizing what they do. After all, why else would a FOX 5 television crew be on hand to document the scene?

On its website, the group encourages others to mimic its holiday tradition, and also offers a brief bit of explanation:

"On a quite normal December day, a few friends were deciding where to treat themselves to a nice holiday lunch. They first thought of something fancy, but Chris suggested that instead of spending a bunch of money on a luxurious meal we spend the same amount of money on a plain meal

"And, the money we were going to spend on the expensive meal, should be collected for the tip. At first, it seemed like a really backwards way of celebrating a holiday meal together. But, the excitement that came from surprising our waitress, more than made up for it."

Click here to watch the latest tip surprise.

Image via tipbombs.com