December 6, 2013
Report: Lesbian Waitress May Not Have Donated Funds to Vet Group
Jason St. Amand READ TIME: 2 MIN.
New Jersey's Bridgewater Patch reports that Dayna Morales, a waitress and former Marine who made headlines after claiming that she was denied a tip because she is gay and was instead left with a hateful note, may have not donated the money she was given over the incident to a veterans group, like she promised.
Last month, Morales, who was dishonorably discharged from the Marines for reportedly not showing up for drills, said she was overwhelmed by the support she's received from strangers as they collectively gave her more than $2,000. The waitress said she planned to donate all the money to the Wounded Warrior Project, a non-profit that helps severely wounded veterans. Morales' employer said they match every donation.
Officials from the group, however, said that they could not confirm that Morales made any donations. According to the Bridgewater Patch, a representative from the Wounded Warriors checked for donations by searching Morales' information, but could not find any matches. The rep added that the donations could have been made from a different ZIP code or by a third party.
Morales made national headlines last month after her story went viral. She claimed that a family came into the Gallop Asian Bistro where she serves, made fun of her, and instead of leaving a proper tip on a $93.55 bill, they left a note scribbled on the receipt that read: "I'm sorry but I cannot tip because I don't agree with your lifestyle & how you live your life."
After the story made waves, the family decided to come forward, stating that they left an $18 tip and actually support marriage equality. The family, who remains anonymous, also turned over their credit card bill to NBC 4 New York, to prove that they were charged $111.55 at Gallop Asian Bistro. When the news station questioned the restaurant's management, they said that they couldn't explain why the family was charged more, and later said in a statement that they are aware of the allegations against Morales, but had no comment, pending an internal investigation.
On Wednesday it was reported that Gallop Asian Bistro officials suspended Morales from her job.
"Ms. Morales is currently not on our employee schedule while we are still working to complete our investigation," the restaurant wrote on its Facebook page. A spokesman for the company said that the investigation should be completed "very soon."