Pizza driver heartbroken after being tipped just $2 tip during snow storm — then the community stepped up

A pizzeria in Brownsburg, Indiana, is receiving unusual attention, not for its famous keto crust pizzas but for one of its employees, Connor Stephanoff. One day in the middle of January this year, Connor, who works at Rockstar Pizza, went above and beyond his duty to deliver a pizza, not realizing that this delivery would change his life. The customer was not generous, tipping Connor only $2 despite learning the many obstacles he faced to deliver their pizza. Instead, Connor’s life changed after a school officer and thousands of strangers came together to support him for his dedication to the job, as reported by WTHR.

It was January 10, and a blizzard blanketed Indiana with about 2 to 6 inches of snow, according to WTHR. Sitting inside the pizzeria, Connor recalled, "I was like, 'There's no way we deliver today.' I was thinking the roads are terrible, there's no way we deliver today." A dilemma arose when the phone rang and someone placed an order.

Rockstar’s co-owner, Colby Matthews, claimed there’s never any pressure on the staff to make deliveries, especially during extreme weather.

"Bad weather means people generally tip more. It's a desirable shift for some of the staff who work here. They don't want to close and go home; they want to make money, so we leave that up to them," she explained. But to Colby’s shock, Connor willingly came forward to deliver this pizza.

Connor walked out of the pizzeria carrying the customer’s order, wearing nothing except a gray sweatshirt, matching trousers, and a pair of Nike sneakers. Tired and breathless, he trekked nearly a mile to arrive at the location. But another obstacle lay in his path: a school bus had been hit in an accident blocking the street.

Undeterred, Connor continued to walk. "It was really cold. It was bad. I thought my ears were going to freeze off," he told the outlet.

After this Herculean labor, when he rang the customer’s doorbell, the customer gave him nothing except a $2 tip, even after he told them the entire story. Disheartened, Connor started walking back toward his car. However, this 15-minute walk would result in a series of fortunate coincidences.

Lieutenant Richard Craig, who was at the accident site, noticed Connor and picked up his camera to start recording his walk back. "I see this young man walking through the snow in gray Nike sweats and a pair of Nikes, delivering a pizza," Craig said.

Craig asked whether he was tipped appropriately for his hard work, to which Connor replied that he just received a $2 tip. Touched by the plight of the pizza man, Craig tipped him $15 and posted the recording online to share Connor’s story with the world.

"Look at this man; this man walked through hell and high water to deliver a pizza," Craig said in the video, according to PEOPLE. He called out the customer who tipped just $2, saying, "Absolutely insane. Do better, folks!"

He also created a GoFundMe page to raise at least $500 for Connor. Instantly, money started pouring in. So far, a total of $28,877 has been raised.

“Believe me when I tell you, this high work ethic is rare from many folks his age,” Craig wrote on the GoFundMe page. The page shows that Connor received over 1000 donations. He shared that he and his grandma would use this money to pay their bills and cover everyday expenses.

“I was like, 'It is. This is really going to get us in a spot where we can be really happy,'" he exclaimed. "When you go above and beyond, you will be blessed," said Colby.

You can follow Officer Craig (@TheOfficerCraig) on X to stay updated about Connor's story.