The lesbian server in New Jersey who
got stiffed on a tip because of her “lifestyle” has collected
nearly $2,000 in donations since her story went viral.
Dayna Morales, a server at Gallop Asian
Bistro in Bridgewater, received a critical note instead of the
customary 20 percent tip on a nearly $100 meal from a family of four.
“Sorry I cannot tip because I do not
agree with your lifestyle & the way you live your life,” the
patron wrote on her credit card receipt.
Morales, who served in the Marine Corps
for two years, wrote about her experience in an email to the blog
Have A
Gay Day. The response was overwhelming.
She
told CNN that she is gay but “never discussed with them [the
family] anything; it was their pure assumption.”
“It's disrespectful and it's
hurtful,” she said. “I feel bad for their children because
that's how they are going to be raised.”
Morales said she planned on donating
her tips to the Wounded Warrior Project. The restaurant said it
would match the money and give it to a local LGBT non-profit.
“It wasn't for the money. I never
planned on this. I just wanted to vent. The purpose was to inform
people it wasn't OK,” she added.
A similar incident at a Kansas City
Carrabba's Italian Grill attracted national headlines in October.
(Related: Patrons
refuse to tip server because being a “fag” is an affront to God.)