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Donnie Wahlberg Leaves $2,000 Tip: Inside The NKOTB Star’s Whirlwind Tour Of Waffle Houses Across The Country

By Victoria Miller
Published on: 21:44 PST, Jul 13, 2017

Donnie Wahlberg fans may want to get a job at Waffle House. The New Kids on the Block singer has made another stop at the popular restaurant chain, and this time he dropped a whole lot of cash—and not just on the food. Wahlberg took to Instagram to document his pit stop at a Charlotte, North Carolina Waffle House in which he revealed that he left a $2000 tip for the staff as well as front row tickets and backstage passes to NKOTB’s Total Package Tour. Donnie had a simple explanation for his life-changing tip.

“My mom waited tables, and my dad tended bars– for years!” Wahlberg wrote. “So, when I walk into a #WaffleHouse, and the staff treats me like a king, you better believe I treat them like queens!”

Donnie Wahlberg has long been a Waffle House fan, but he was especially happy with the service at the Charlotte location of his favorite place to go after a show. According to People, Wahlberg documented his stop at the chain on Facebook Live. Donnie ordered steak, eggs, grits, and bacon and joked with the staff and other patrons while he waited for his food. Wahlberg said the North Carolina Waffle House is “happening” and he toasted the staff’s “Southern hospitality.”

Donnie Wahlberg made several post-show Waffle House stops over the past month, and his tips keep getting bigger and bigger. In late June, Wahlberg stopped in for a late night meal at the eatery in Edgewood, Maryland and left the overnight staff a $500 tip on a $62.75 bill.

Donnie, who owns the Wahlburgers hamburger chain with his brother Mark and Paul, said on Facebook Live, “If I’m not at Wahlburgers, guess where I am? Waffle House.”

According to LA Weekly, Donnie Wahlberg’s Waffle House stops have been going on for years. After his concerts, Donnie often tweets directly to his social media followers to meet him at the local Waffle House. Sometimes hundreds of fans show up and it turns into a party both inside the restaurant and in the parking lot.

Donnie, who sometimes makes his entrance with a boom box blaring NKOTB held over his head, often leads chants with, ‘When I say Waffle, you say House: Waffle! House! Waffle! House!‘

In 2015, Donnie Wahlberg’s Waffle House stop in Kansas City was documented on Donnie Loves Jenny, his A&E reality show with wife Jenny McCarthy. That time, Donnie did a takeover of the kitchen.

Donnie Wahlberg fans should be on the alert because the NKOTB Total Package Tour has a few more shows left and Donnie will be hungry. And here’s a tip for local Waffle House employees: You may want to roll out the red carpet if he makes a cameo at your store.

[Featured Image by Ethan Miller/Getty Images]

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