A Waffle House waitress who worked a double shift while looking after her baby says she received a $1,000 tip from a country music star who was impressed by her work ethic

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• A Waffle House waitress said she received a $1,000 tip from a country music star.
• She worked a double shift while looking after her baby, she told Fox 8 News.
• The music star told her that some people were unwilling to work hard, the waitress said.
• See more stories on Insider's business page.

A Waffle House waitress said a country music star left her a $1,000 tip from because he was so impressed by her work ethic.

Waitress Shirell Lackey told Fox 8 News that the musician, who she wanted to keep anonymous, left the tip after finding out she was working a double shift while looking after her baby daughter at the restaurant.

A photograph of the check showed that the customer tipped $1,000 on an $11.99 order. Lackey told Fox 8 News that the musician also gifted her two tickets to one of his concerts.

-8 News NOW (@8NewsNow) July 30, 2021

"He was like: 'I have to respect a mother that would do whatever it takes to support their child in a society where people don't even want to work anymore,'" Lackey said in an interview with Fox 8 News.

Retail and restaurant chains around the US are struggling to find workers in a tight labor market. The phrase "no one wants to work anymore" has gained popularity, with some businesses blaming the labor shortage on lazy workers. Insider's Aine Cain saw this first-hand when she traveled along the east coast of the US.

Other business owners dispute claims that the shortage is down to laziness. Michael Lastoria, CEO of the &pizza restaurant chain, told Insider's Zahra Tayeb that his 51 locations were fully staffed as of July, and that the secret was simply paying workers proper wages. He offers a $16-an-hour wage, plus benefits, he said.

"The idea that wages couldn't possibly rise even once over the past 12 years while prices went up, while inflation went up, and while the cost of living went up, has resulted in the 'shortage' [business owners] are experiencing today," he said.

"There isn't a labor shortage, there is a shortage of business owners willing to pay a living wage," he said.

The tight labor market in the US has put workers on the front foot, and some are using this time to look for better-paying jobs with better working conditions.

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