The young mystery diner 'who gave an Aussie waitress a $10,000 tip'
Australia’s youngest billionaire has been widely named as the generous businessman who gave a shocked waitress a $10,000 tip.
But in the hours after the stories were published, Ed Craven’s representatives furiously rejected that it was him, deepening the mystery further.
Four friends enjoyed a $500 meal of steak and pasta at trendy inner-city eatery Gilson in ‘s South Yarra on Saturday.
The group was so impressed by the service from head waitress Lauren that a mystery businessman gave a generous $10,000 tip when he paid the bill.
He insisted the university student receive 70 per cent after the waitress told him tips were shared among the restaurant’s 23 staff.
It was widely reported that online casino businessman Craven, 27, betmatik was responsible for the tip — a suggestion that was furiously rejected by a representative on his behalf on Wednesday evening.
Mr Craven, 27, made his fortune as co-founder of enterprisestake.com and now boasts an impressive property portfolio.
Australia’s youngest billionaire Ed Craven has denied that he was the mysterious diner who gave a whopping $10,000 tip to a Melbourne waitress
The site sees an average of $US400m wagered in the form of bets every day, according to statistics recently supplied to The Weekend Australian Magazine.
Mr Craven and co-founder Bijan Tehrani had been on track to make $1bn in profits by the end of 2022.
The little-known businessman bought two mansions in the ritzy suburb of Toorak last August, including an $ 88million’ ghost mansion’ which is believed to be Australia’s second most expensive house.
The 7,200sqm property was last sold for $5million in 1991 to property developer David Yu, who had bought the property from then-Hoyts boss Leon Fink, who had half-built a French Renaissance-style mansion on the site.
Melbourne student Lauren was offered a wild $10,000 tip while waitressing but insisted some of the money should go to her colleagues.She ended up with $7000
Mr Craven bought another luxury Toorak mansion for $38million earlier in 2022.
The sale price was more than three times the amount paid by the previous owner for the home in 2018
The luxury mansion spans 2,000sq metres and boasts a three car garage, four bedrooms and as many bathrooms.
It also features a featuring a pool, curved staircase, a contemporary chandelier from a double-height ceiling and an oak study.
Some 50 ball lights hang from the ceiling in the dining room.
Mr Craven previously splashed out on a four bedroom luxury unit in Southbank’s Prima Towers for $12.5 million.
That same year in 2021, he also purchased a three-bedroom, two-bathroom townhouse in Fitzroy North for $1.98m, reported.
Ed Craven purchased a $88million ‘ghost mansion’ in Toorak six months ago, which is believed to be Australia’s second most expensive house
Mr Craven had already bought another mansion in the suburb just five months ago (entrance to the $88million mansion pictured)
Lauren previously revealed Mr Craven said he’d only leave a tip if she got 70 per cent of it, or $7,000.
Other staff said she burst into tears when she realised how much she’d been given.
‘I made them say the number out loud because I thought ‘what if I have just gotten too excited and I’ve stupidly read an extra zero or something like that, ‘ she told the .
The other staff received $3,000 to share — $136 each.
Gilson is a trendy Italian eatery frequented by social media models, influencers and reality TV stars.
Restaurant staff were ‘in pure shock’ for half an hour after the group left, said another waitress who worked Saturday, also named Lauren.
‘Lauren’s a great waitress and it’s a wealthy area, that has to be taken that into consideration,’ she said.
‘We have high net worth customers and hatted restaurants next door.And the tipper was a successful businessman.’
She said the table that tipped so extravagantly was a walk-in group and not regulars.
They spent a total of $500 on steak and pasta and one drink each.
Lauren who received the big tip cut back to part-time work hours in the restaurant after receiving the cash, so she could spend more time on her studies, staff said.
She described Gilson’s wait staff as ‘a tight-knit family’ in which all staff would want to share at least some of their tips.
Lauren admitted she had to ask the businessman to repeat the tip out loud in case she’d misheard it
Restaurant staff were ‘in pure shock’ for half an hour after Ed Craven and his friends left
Gilson owner Jamie McBride was delighted to see his staff get extra recognition.
‘(It’s) very pleasing, it makes the team feel really special when they’re acknowledged, betmatik especially when no one’s ever expecting anything like that,’ he said.
The tip produced a welcome piece of good news for bit.ly Mr McBride who in 2021 was fined $204,000 for betmatik underpaying staff.
A Fair Work Investigation found Gilson underpaid vulnerable international visa holders by $53,850 in six months from December 2017 to July 2018.