Waitress Hits Lottery, Won't Quit Job

She and husband collect $12M in Minnesota

By John Johnson, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 9, 2014 5:50 PM CDT

Copied

Waitress Hits Lottery, Won't Quit Job — Joe and Rhonda Meath appear at a press conference after winning the $11.7 million Hot Lotto jackpot in Roseville, Minn. (AP Photo/Minneapolis Star Tribune, Glen Stubbe)

Rhonda Meath waits tables for a living, and a lottery payout of $11.7 million isn't about to change that. “I actually really enjoy my job,” the 51-year-old waitress at the Lake Elmo Inn in Minnesota tells ABC News. "I have great friends here and a great boss, and it’s just really a fantastic place to work, so I have no plans of leaving." The Meaths will splurge on a new car for her, but husband Joe, who is retired at 53 because of a back injury, plans to keep his truck with 280,000 miles on it, reports KARE-11. One nice quirk: This particular lottery, Hot Lotto, covers all state and federal taxes, so the Meaths will keep the full payout, reports the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. (Read more lottery stories.)