'No Tip' Server Loses Job After Receipt Controversy - Gothamist

Dayna Morales talks to WABC 7

The NJ waitress who claimed a bigoted customer denied her a tip ^[1] because she is gay, and subsequently was accused of making up the whole thing, has been fired from her job. Gallop Asian Bistro released a statement on Facebook ^[2] Saturday, shortly after it was revealed that Dayna Morales ^[3] had started returning some of the thousands of dollars of donations she received by sympathetic strangers: "In light of the investigation and recent events, both Ms. Morales and Gallop Asian Bistro have made a joint decision that Ms. Morales will no longer continue her employment at our restaurant."

You can read the full statement below—despite whatever ambiguity their investigation found, the restaurant still found it wise to part ways with Morales:

The Gallop Asian Bistro has taken seriously the allegations made by Ms. Dayna Morales, and those made against her. Despite news reports to the contrary, this is not a simple, straight-forward matter and we have conducted our own internal investigation. The results of that investigation are inconclusive as to exactly what happened between Ms. Morales and the customers that night. However, in light of the investigation and recent events, both Ms. Morales and Gallop Asian Bistro have made a joint decision that Ms. Morales will no longer continue her employment at our restaurant. We wish her well in the future.

Overall, this has been an unfortunate incident for Gallop Asian Bistro, our employees, and our customers. We are dedicated to providing excellent Asian cuisine and superior service. We have the utmost faith in our management and staff and we welcome the opportunity to serve our customers.

Morales received over $3,000 in a PayPal account after coming forward with her story. She promised to donate the cash to the Wounded Warriors, which she hadn't ^[4] as of this week. Yesterday, at least three people said they had received refunds ^[5] for their donations. “I received a refund…for the donation I made to Dayna Morales,” Kate Dols posted on the “Have a Gay Day” Facebook page. “Glad to see she is doing the right thing…Dayna, you need help, please seek it.”

It's come out in the weeks since the initial incident that Morales has lied ^[6] about having cancer and serving in the marines, according to friends. Ex-co-worker Julie Howat told the Journal News, "Every story she comes up with has a lie... Any tragedy that happened, she had to be a part of it. She needed sympathy and empathy." Howat told the Post, “I knew [the receipt] was fake. When the articles came out, everyone at my job laughed.”