A waitress in Salisbury, Massachusetts, was shocked to receive a generous four-figure tip from a diner at her cafe.

Jennifer Navaria, who works at Seaglass restaurant, waited on a table of four on Saturday night. The server told local station FOX 23 that she chatted with the guests before giving them their bill for $157 ($A232).

When Ms Navaria later picked up the check, she initially thought they had left a $50 ($A75) tip.

“But then when I went to the bottom (with the total), it was four digits, then a decimal point. So that’s when I knew it was not $50,” said Ms Navaria, who realised the customers had left her with a $5000 ($A7420) tip.

“I was shaking. And it was, like, really unbelievable,” she said.