Ex-NFL star Chad Johnson leaves $1,000 tip at Florida eatery

COOPER CITY, Fla. (AP) — Former NFL star Chad Johnson left a $1,000 tip for his waiter after dining at a restaurant in Florida that recently reopened amid the coronavirus outbreak.

“Congrats on re-opening, sorry about the pandemic, hope this helps. I LOVE YOU,” Johnson wrote Monday on his $37 tab. He tweeted a photo of the receipt from Havana’s Cuban Cuisine in Cooper City with the caption “Proverbs 11:25,” a bible verse that states “a generous person will prosper, whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”

The restaurant also shared a photo of Johnson’s receipt on Facebook to thank the former NFL wide receiver for his “continued patronage” and generosity to their employees during “these most difficult times.”

Restaurants in Broward County were allowed to reopen dine-in service Monday with 25% limited indoor capacity, about two months after they closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Restaurants with outdoor seating would have to keep tables 6 feet (2 meters) apart.

Other restaurants and retail shops in Florida started opening earlier this month after Gov. Ron DeSantis loosened some restrictions under the stay-at-home order.

Johnson spent most of his NFL career with the Cincinnati Bengals, played one year with the New England Patriots and participated in a training camp with the Miami Dolphins before he was cut from the team.