Trump drops $500 tip at Philly cheesesteak restaurant as possible VP name is floated in crowd interaction

Former President Trump made an unexpected campaign stop Saturday at Tony and Nick’s Steaks in South Philadelphia prior to a rally at Temple University in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania.

Trump reportedly made quite an impression not just from a $500 tip, but also by writing “no taxes on tips” on the receipt. The former president has campaigned recently to end taxation on tips for those in the service industries.

“It was just unbelievable,” Nicky Lucidonio, owner of Tony and Nick’s Steaks, shared with Fox News Digital. “He was talking to people, you know, they’re asking questions. He’s answering them. He’s signing hats. He signed and everything.

“We’re all taking pictures with him. What a great man, you know. We’re all here rooting for him. You know, this November, we gotta get him in.”

TRUMP ENCOURAGES VOTERS TO WRITE ‘NO TAX ON TIPS’ ON RESTAURANT RECEIPTS

Lucidonio said Trump’s visit was unexpected, and he only knew of a woman who had visited Friday afternoon to make a large and mysterious order.

“This lady came with a bunch of people and she said, ‘I got a big order for [Saturday].’ I said, ‘OK, that’s great,’ you know… And it was like I would say about 200 sandwiches.

“Wow, 200 cheesesteaks. I said, ‘Great, who’s it for?’ She wanted to help me. She said it’s for some special people.”

A prepaid order and generous tip by the former president wasn’t the only surprise Trump had in store for his visit to Tony and Nick’s.

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Trump polled the crowd, “Who do you like as VP?”

One bystander shouted, “JD Vance!” Trump replied, “You like JD?”

The impact of Trump’s visit to Tony and Nick’s underscores issues that countless small business owners across the country are currently facing.

Former President Trump poses for a photo with a child dressed as him at Tony and Nick’s Steaks on Saturday in Philadelphia. (Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images)

Lucidonio expressed his frustration at taxation on restaurant worker tips, stating, “You know, people have to wonder. They’re working in 100-degree weather in there.”

“People put tips in our jar, you know, and then to tax those tips that these poor people live day-by-day is a joke. I mean, what else do you want to tax? It’s crazy,” he continued. “I mean, we go, we do all the hard work, we’re out there, and it’s 15, 20 hours a day working hard for our families.

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“They just come and say, well, that’s half is mine. It’s ridiculous. The middle class is getting killed. We got to do something about it.”

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.