Hundreds of revelers at a London nightclub were delighted when a businessman offered to pay for drinks all round – and ended up with a bill for more than 42,000 pounds ($59,000).
The 39-year-old German-born fruit importer, who chose to remain anonymous, strolled into Brown’s nightclub in Covent Garden, central London, on Saturday night and insisted on buying birthday drinks for the club’s owner, Richard Traviss.
“I asked for a glass of champagne and he presented me with nine bottles,” Traviss was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail newspaper on Wednesday. “I thought to myself, ‘Who is this guy?”‘
That was just the beginning.
The generous fruit merchant, said to be based in Spain, then asked the DJ to turn down the music and took the microphone to announce to the whole club: “The drinks are on me.”
His bill, which totaled 42,608 pounds including a tip of 4,734 pounds, covered 49 bottles of Cristal Rose champagne at 325 pounds a bottle, 40 bottles of Cristal champagne at 250 pounds each and 20 bottles of Dom Perignon at 225 pounds a time.
“It really got the evening flowing,” said Traviss. “There has never been an atmosphere like it.”