A group tipped staff $10,000 at a restaurant in Utah, causing a surge in job applications to the business, its owner said

• Diners at a Mexican restaurant in Salt Lake City left a $10,000 tip for staff.
• Its owner said that its number of job applications had boomed since the group left the tip.

A regular customer and his friends tipped staff at a Mexican restaurant in Salt Lake City $10,000.

Alfonso Brito, who owns the restaurant, Monarca, with his wife, Claudia, told Insider that Michael McHenry, a regular customer and local restaurant owner, visited Monarca with around 24 other diners on a "super busy" Friday in mid-September.

As McHenry's table was getting ready to leave, one of his party called Brito over, thanked him for the meal, and asked him to bring his staff over.

Brito said he brought a team of employees to the table, including the main cooks and sous chef, whom the diners thanked.

"And they just pulled out of this pocket $10,000 and they handed it over to Claudia, my wife, and me," Brito told Insider. "All the staff members were super excited."

Brito said that Monarca shared the tip among its staff, including giving $2,000 to the table's server, as requested by the party.

"An act of kindness goes far beyond what words can express," the restaurant wrote on Instagram at the time. "The impact of the generosity extends not only to our staff but also to their families and our entire community."

Leaving hefty tips is something of a tradition among McHenry and his friends, Brito said. They meet in a restaurant once a year and leave a large tip for the staff, but the one they left at Monarca was their biggest yet, he added.

Steven Harward, one of the diners, told KSL-TV that his group had doled out big tips about 20 times.

"It's just such a cool experience to give back a little bit," he said.

Brito said that the number of applications for roles at his restaurant had boomed since the diners left the tip in mid-September, while also helping attract new customers.

"When they hear that somebody gave us $10,000, they obviously assume that it's a good service," Brito said. "When they walk in my restaurant, they know that it's true."

Monarca has a specific strategy that Brito said motivated his staff to work hard.

"We have a motto that you just treat the customers like your mom," Brito said. "Just treat a guest like your mom."

Staff should present meals, clean the tables and restrooms, and check on customers like it's their mom they're serving, he said.

This strategy "has been working really, really well for us," he added.