Servers at downtown Ann Arbor’s Bar Louie and Alley Bar got an unusual surprise one night in September when they received tips of mega proportions.

An anonymous patron left a $3,000 tip for an $87.98 bill at Bar Louie, followed by a $7,000 tip for a $200 bill at Alley Bar.

Alley Bar bartender David Martinez prepares drinks at the downtown Ann Arbor bar.

Something the generous tips had in common: @tipsforjesus was penned on the receipts’ signature lines.

Tips for Jesus is an Instagram account gaining in popularity that shows photos of receipts with giant tips — ranging from $500 to $10,000 — including photos of some lucky servers holding the receipts and smiling. The account reads, "Doing the Lord's work, one tip at a time."

The receipts featured on the account come from bars and restaurants across the country, including establishments in San Francisco, Hollywood, Chicago, South Bend and Ann Arbor. One photo — with the tagline “Caddies are cash only” — shows two golf caddies at a country club in Illinois each receiving $300 in cash as a tip.

The Instagram account started in September with a photo of the receipt from Bar Louie, and the most recent surprise tip was $5,000 for a $576.50 bill on Nov. 30 at a bar in Washington.

It’s unclear who is behind the TipsForJesus Instagram account, but Alley Bar co-owner Robbie Schulz said it’s a group of people who want to stay anonymous.

“It’s one group (of people),” Schulz said. “They are big college football fans, so I think you’ll see some of the tips…following different football games, but they do travel around. I think it’s a group of guys that live in different parts of the country, but it’s one person who fuels it.”

“One of the guys has been very successful, and they said it’s his way to redistribute some wealth and it makes him happy to make people’s night. I think it’s as simple as that,” he added.

Schulz waited on the group of about five guys at Alley Bar in September following the University of Michigan vs. Notre Dame night football game. He said they came into the downtown Ann Arbor bar at 1:40 a.m., had a couple rounds of drinks, and then one person paid for the bill using an American Express Centurion Card, or a Black Card.

“Before he gave (the receipt) back to me, he said, ‘this is real, this is legit, we’ve done this at other places before and the tip will go through. If you need me to verify anything, I will verify it,’” Schulz said.

Schulz read the tip as $2,000, and it wasn’t until the next day, when he met up with the Tips for Jesus group, that he realized they meant to tip $7,000.

“The reason they wanted to meet back up was because they wanted to ask if they could take my picture and explained they started the Instagram account,” Schulz said. “They explained they had done this in other places. …They wanted to keep it anonymous.”

A photo of Schulz with the $7,000 tip receipt is posted on the Tips for Jesus Instagram account.

Schulz said the Tips for Jesus group had a few more drinks at Alley Bar that evening, and left another $4,000 as a tip. Schulz said he split both tips among Alley Bar’s staff.

“It paid rent for a month for some of the staff, or bought groceries,” he said.

“There was a lot of happy disbelief,” he added. “Very shocking. …What do you say when a stranger hands you that much money? And they’re very nonchalant about it.”

Lizzy Alfs is a business reporter for The Ann Arbor News. Reach her at 734-623-2584, email her lizzyalfs@mlive.com or follow her on Twitter.