Country music star Angaleena Plesley will never forget the generosity of a family who helped save her from an emotional breakdown during her time as "the most horrible waitress you could imagine".

The singer, who is a member of Miranda Lambert's all-girl group the Pistol Annies, was working her way through college as a waitress when she lost her cool one night in front of diners.

She recalls, "This horrible group of guys, they were just being drunk and mean, hitting on me and flirting, and there was this other table that kept harassing me about bread: 'Can we get our bread? Where's our bread?'

"Finally, after about the sixth time they asked me for bread, I stopped at their table and just completely let go on them and had an all-out breakdown. I just started bawling: 'Those guys over there are hitting on me, I forgot your bread. I should be at home studying. I have a test tomorrow'."

Her meltdown touched the diners and they left her a hefty tip.

She tells Rolling Stone Country, "That was unbelievable, that I had this real-life moment with these people who obviously would have had a much better dinner if I could've brought them some bread. I ruined their meal, I'm sure, and they just saw past it and saw that I was just this girl trying to get through school and working to try and become a better person. They recognized that and they left me $20, which I desperately needed at that time."