Waitress left 'shaking' after billionaire tips US$5000

A waitress in the US state of Massachusetts has been left in shock after being tipped US$5000 (around $7300) by a generous diner on the weekend.

Server at Seaglass restaurant Jennifer Navaria revealed she looked after a table of four during the Saturday service, but unbeknownst to her one of the diners was a billionaire car dealership mogul named Ernie Boch Jr, according to FOX 23.

Navaria later told the TV station she chatted with the guests before handing over their US$157 bill ($233).

At first, the waitress thought she'd been given a $50 tip, before noting the decimal point after the first four digits.

"I was shaking. And it was, like, really unbelievable," she told FOX 23.

The receipt includes a note that reads: "Donnie, your move - Ernie," alluding to a new viral 2020 tip challenge, started by celebrity Donnie Wahlberg on New Year's Day. The challenge involves leaving a $2020 tip to an unsuspecting service industry worker — but clearly Ernie was looking to one-up the entertainer with an even bigger gesture.

Since the New Kids on the Block star's wife, Jenny McCarthy, posted a tweet about the uplifting act at the turn of the decade, there's been a trickle of copycat tippers emerging from the woodwork onboard with the adorable challenge.

Most recently, YouTube star Gabi DeMartino shocked her pizza delivery driver when she signed off on a $2020 tip.

Let's hope the 2020 generosity continues.