Full disclosure: I’ve always wanted to do this event hosted by New York Giants superfan Joe Ruback. It’s called the big tip dinner. You buy in, enjoy a nice dinner at a diner somewhere in Northern New Jersey (Fact: there are no bad diners in Jersey), and then the waiter or waitress gets a massive tip as a nice Christmas gift.
Ruback has attended every Giants home and away game since 2000 and does great charity work in the area for the fans and players alike. There’s an annual softball game where former and current Giants players participate. Don’t be shocked if old-school legends like Joe Morris, Carl Banks, and other Ring of Honor Giants appear.
On this occasion, the big tip dinner was 'crashed' by die-hard Philadelphia Eagles fan Eric Emanuele “EROCK,” who had apparently been threatening to attend the event for years. He finally kept his word, arrived, trolled Joe, and thanked the Giants for letting Saquon Barkley come to Philly, which likely did not go over well, but it’s fun trash talk.
Shout out to @LicensePlateGuy for doing this every year. You had to know I was going to crash the party at some point, but all for a good cause. pic.twitter.com/fDGgJ17d67
— EROCK (@EROCK_Eagles) December 20, 2024
Who invited this guy?#bigtipdinner pic.twitter.com/ocGWOmdXFn
— LPG - NYG (@LicensePlateGuy) December 20, 2024
What an amazing night lastnight at the 5th annual BIG TIP DINNER. We tipped $1700 for the waitress & another $300 (on-line) for the kitchen staff.
— LPG - NYG (@LicensePlateGuy) December 20, 2024
Thank you to all 37 people who showed & those who donated. Special thanks to: Tommy Devito, Micah Mcfadden, Casey Rogers, Joe… pic.twitter.com/jXSbvJUceY
This is what it's about at the end of the day!!! Thanks for taking the drive, the support, and being a frienenemy. You're a good dude man.
— LPG - NYG (@LicensePlateGuy) December 20, 2024
(Giants player added another 200 at the end for a total of $1700 to the waitress and $300 raised on line for the cook) https://t.co/vYI9nLzYPX
“He’s not going to be happy to see me,” Emanuele said in a video he shared on social media of him showing up at the event.
Ultimately, this NFC East crew tipped their waitress $1,700 and gave another $300 to the kitchen staff.
Merry Christmas.