BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) -- The holiday season just got a little brighter for a server at one California restaurant.

Many customers have become more like friends at 24th Street Café in Bakersfield, said Soleil McCaleb, a nursing student who has been waiting tables there for five years.

“I build relationships with them,” she said. “I care about them and they care about me. We talk about school, my family, and all the things."

Regulars at the 24th Street Café show their appreciation, McCaleb said, but sometimes strangers can be just as generous.

One party of nine sat in Naomi Denton’s section Thursday morning and had a nice surprise for her when they finished breakfast.

“Everyone here just gave you a $100 tip,” Sebastian Aza told Denton when he paid the bill. “So, you’re going to walk away with $900 today.”

“Are you serious?” she responded.

“I just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays,” Aza answered.

Denton, who has been serving at the cafe for 19 years, recently became engaged. The nuptials are set for October and that $900 will go into the wedding fund, she said.

“A lot of my regulars like to go above and beyond for me, so that’s nice,” McCaleb said.

“I love it here,” said Donna Caudle, another server at the 24th Street Café who has been there for 28 years. “The people are awesome, we have awesome customers. They come in, they’re always paying it forward. Taking care of people. So, you have people that have more, have less ... it goes both ways.”

“We try to do this at least once a year,” Aza said of the server giveaway. “Why not try to do it during the holidays? If you can help out, why not?”

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