The 27-year-old Armando Markaj had a very strange experience while he was waiting tables that would forever change his life. What one lady left for him instead of a tip will shock you.

Armando Markaj is a 27-year-old medical student who found himself working at the pizza shop. The young waiter took great pride in his work ethic, but he was put to the test one day in May 2019.

The women noticed the walls of the restaurant were lined with images of famous figures who had visited the pizza place. People often ask the waiters questions about these portraits, but the reactions from these women were surprising to Armando.

He was a little taken aback by the question because there were photos of women on the walls, just not where these particular ladies were seated. And to be fair, it wasn’t as if he was the one who hung the photos. Many of them had been there for nearly a century!

Armando was getting slightly annoyed with the line of questions for which he didn’t really have answers. And eh had other customers waiting to be served! He told the women that summer was coming and maybe women didn’t like eating pizza as much. He quickly realized he had made a huge mistake as soon as the words left his mouth.

The women asked for the bill almost immediately after their food was brought out. Armando had worked at Patsy’s for 9 years at that point and he didn’t’ think any customer could surprise him, but these women sure did.

They left a remark that women do, in fact, eat pizza. They also stated, “By the way, ave you heard that women don’t leave tips?” He regretted what he had said to the women but couldn’t do anything other than continue working.

The first thing he saw was a “Citibank” logo. He realized right away that there was a check inside the envelope. Perhaps the women had left it behind on accident since they were in such a rush to leave the Pizzeria.

Armando was now faced with a dilemma: should he return the check to the ungrateful customers, or should he just keep it for himself as an overdue tip? Many people probably would have kept the money without hesitation. However, Armando wasn’t selfish.

By the time Armando made it onto the street, the two women were nowhere to be found. He did not know their names and had no way to get in touch with them. As he had few other options, he made his way back to the pizzeria. 

When Armando looked at the check, he was completely taken aback. The check’s amount was a whopping $424,000! He couldn’t believe it – what person would walk into a restaurant with this much money?

Armando later shared in an interview that Patsy’s employees would usually just put stuff left behind in the lost-and-found box. However, Armando wasn’t going to do that with nearly half a million dollars. While he still didn’t know what to do with the check, one thing’s for sure: he wasn’t keeping it.

Frank enlisted the help of his 30-year-old son, Adem, to Google some information about Karen Vinacour. If Karen was a billionaire, then it shouldn’t be that difficult to find some information online.

Armando and Frank had also hoped that the women would return to the restaurant. Frank later said in an interview that he thought that it wouldn’t be long before they returned, as even billionaires would notice that they were missing $424,000.

Before going to Patsy’s, Karen had spent the day looking for a new place to live. She had just sold her old house and was planning to use the $424,000 check for the downpayment of her new home and other expenses.

Without that check, Karen would become homeless. She had been living with her daughter and other relatives at the time. However, she couldn’t stay with them very long. She was under a lot of stress, which could explain her behavior at Patsy’s that day.

Karen later explained that her daughter was “kind of feisty,” and she didn’t appreciate the way Armando answered their question. Hence, they both agreed not to tip him. Little did they know that their decision would come back to haunt them later on.

Karen figured that all she needed to do was to go to the bank and ask them to cancel the check. Early the next day, she headed over to the Citibank branch at Union Square. Unfortunately, the bank’s employees had some bad news for her.

Karen couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She had made most of that money by selling her house. She couldn’t possibly stay with her family and friends forever. If she can’t get that check back, she’d be homeless.

Karen then called her daughter and asked her to see if she had the check. Her daughter looked in her purse, searched the entire house, and dug through her trash, but she couldn’t find it. By that point, Karen was beginning to lose hope.

Karen’s real estate broker eventually returned her call and he was just as confused as she was. In an interview, he recalled how Karen told him that she had called Patsy’s. However, it never occurred to him that she may have contacted the wrong one.

Journalists know how to look through archives to find specific individuals, so Armando and Frank figured that they needed their help. After learning about the missing check, the staff at the New York Daily News immediately set to work.

An ecstatic Karen thanked the newspaper staff and told them how relieved she was. She then proceeded to tell them that she would be heading over to Patsy’s right away. As soon as she ended the call, she hopped in a cab and made her way to Patsy’s.

Armando later told ABC 7 in an interview that Karen broke into tears as soon as he handed her the check. Though other people might have kept the check for themselves, Armando chose to do the right thing and returned it to its rightful owner.

Karen never imagined that she would come face-to-face with the waiter at Patsy’s again. While their last encounter was a rather unpleasant one, it’s safe to say that this incident certainly changed Karen’s opinions about him for the better.

Some of the famous women on Patsy’s wall include writer, editor, activist, and former New York City first lady Chirlane McCray, journalist Barbara Walters, and former New York City Council Speakers Christine Quinn and Melissa Mark-Viverito. Karen and her daughter didn’t notice these women’s portraits on their previous visit.

Frank told Karen that he wanted to take a photo with her so he could put that on the wall too. Karen was honored that Frank wanted her portrait on the wall along with generations of Patsy’s most loyal and famous customers.

To Karen’s surprise, Armando rejected her offer. He explained that giving her her life savings back was enough of a gift not just for him, but for everyone who worked at Patsy’s. Karen was touched by the young man’s kindness and generosity.

Karen told ABC 7 that she was grateful that her passive-aggressive note did not prevent Armando from doing the right thing. Had he not gone the extra mile to return the check, she would have been homeless by now.

Armando told the Los Angeles Times that he believed that this whole incident was karma for Karen and her daughter. In response, Karen laughed and said that she believed in karma too, telling Armando that she thinks that it was karma that helped her get back to him.