PATERSON, NJ — A group's annual holiday tradition was added up to good news for a New Jersey IHOP waitress.

The group of friends went for breakfast on Saturday at a Paterson IHOP and each person brought along $100, according to a post on Twitter. At the end of the meal, they paid the bill and gave their waitress a $1,200 tip.

"If you and your friends have the capacity and heart to pool your money to give a large tip to a waitress this holiday season that you know deserves it. I encourage it," the man tweeted. "You’ll be surprised how many of your friends would be supportive of the idea!"

He wrote that the waitress, who was holding the large stack of cash, thought they'd made a mistake and tried to give the money back.

"As she double checks the bill we are just grinning like 'she has no idea that we didn’t make a mistake,'" the man tweeted.