'I Can't Say Thank You Enough': Jason Derulo Surprises Waiter By Paying Off Semester of College With $5,000 Tip

Derulo stopped by Charleston's Restaurant in Omaha, Nebraska last weekend.

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By Emily Rella

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Jason Derulo performs at a concert in September 2022.

One server in an Omaha, Nebraska restaurant was in for the surprise of his life when music star Jason Derulo stopped for a bite with his family while visiting the Midwest city.

Jordan Schaffer was working an ordinary Sunday evening shift at Charleston's Restaurant when the star and his posse walked in racking up a $795 tab.

"I was told I had a party of 18 coming in. And I was like, oh, OK, cool. That's always fun to have," he told local outlet KETV Omaha.

Schaffer documented the interaction on TikTok in a video that's now been viewed over 287,400 times.

@jordanschaffer2 Serving @jasonderulo ♬ Nuvole Bianche - Yuval Salomon


"My heart's beating really fast," Schaffer tells Derulo while laughing.

Derulo responds by telling the server that the staff at the restaurant is "really awesome."

When Schaffer went to check the bill after the musician sign it, he found a surprise that he is sure he'll "never forget."

Schaffer showed viewers a signed copy of the check which showed a $5,000 tip, bringing Derulo's total bill to $5,795.

"Hey Jason, thank you — you just paid for a semester of my college I can't say thank you enough," Schaffer said to the camera, tagging Derulo in the clip. "I hope you and you family have a wonderful time in Omaha and I hope you see us again. Thank you so much."

Derulo, an active TikToker with over 57.5 million followers on the platform, responded promptly.

"You seem like a great person," Derulo wrote. "Thank you for taking such great care of our fam. Keep spreading the love bro."

Schaffer told KETV Omaha that his school tuition was actually due last week, and he hadn't been able to pay it.

"Getting that money just really took a lot of stress out of my life," Schaffer told KETV. "To see it happen to myself is just kind of bewildering."

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Jason Derulo is worth an estimated $16 million.

Emily Rella

Entrepreneur Staff

News Writer

Emily Rella is a news writer at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, she was an editor at Verizon Media. Her coverage spans features, business, lifestyle, tech, entertainment, and lifestyle. She is a 2015 graduate of Boston College and a Ridgefield, CT native. Find her on Twitter at @EmilyKRella.

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