# Dayna Morales, the waitress who claims she didn't get tipped because of her homosexuality, exposed. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 26, 2013, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayna-morales-the-waitress-who-claims-she-didnt-get-tipped-because-of-her-homosexuality-exposed/674823 "2013-11-26T15:21:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Truman\_Burbank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@Truman\_Burbank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truman_Burbank)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayna-morales-the-waitress-who-claims-she-didnt-get-tipped-because-of-her-homosexuality-exposed/674823/61 "2013-11-27T16:56:19Z")
> [@Jesse\_Pinkman](#): > > I think that even if these two stories were initially true, they didn’t deserve the news coverage they originally got. > > People are assholes and assholes sometimes stiff people for asshole reasons. **While it’s shitty, it’s not really news**. (bolding mine) How I wish this were true. But, you get enough people to click on trivial bullshit, it becomes news pretty much by definition. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayna-morales-the-waitress-who-claims-she-didnt-get-tipped-because-of-her-homosexuality-exposed/674823/62 "2013-11-27T17:26:58Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > You have been spouting idiotic posts for quite some time in this thread. If only the OP were so prolific. The ridiculousness of the dope’s Aspergian-like need to distinguish between attacking a post and attacking a poster is put in high relief by this post. Stay classy, **Jimbo**. ---
**Author:** ![DragonAsh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DragonAsh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DragonAsh)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayna-morales-the-waitress-who-claims-she-didnt-get-tipped-because-of-her-homosexuality-exposed/674823/63 "2013-11-27T18:05:16Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I often interview people and have to figure out if they are lying. Everything about her reaction screams “liar” to me. She has some serious tells that are taught in every interview class. But that is far from scientific and I don’t rely on my instincts at work nor will I here. But it certainly colors my perception of the story. Ditto, and I know exactly what you’re talking about. I do rely on my instincts when it comes to hiring decisions, however. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayna-morales-the-waitress-who-claims-she-didnt-get-tipped-because-of-her-homosexuality-exposed/674823/64 "2013-11-27T18:27:47Z")
What y’all can give thanks for this year – that I’m not going to wade through this train wreck and give out warnings. I’ll just move it to the Pit and y’all can whale on each other to your hearts’ content. ---
**Author:** ![DragonAsh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DragonAsh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DragonAsh)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayna-morales-the-waitress-who-claims-she-didnt-get-tipped-because-of-her-homosexuality-exposed/674823/65 "2013-11-27T18:59:41Z")
> [@bup](#): > > When I was a server, the restaurant gave you cash out of the register for the credit card tips. It’s got to be the same way now. What are they going to do, give it to you electronically? Well, yes - but this is done at the \*end \*of the shift; when all the tips for the night run by debit/credit card are tallied up. There’s no way any remotely busy diner would have time to pay out tips in cash on a per-invoice basis, not during a normal busy dinner rush. (Plus, some places also take off a small fee from the server for credit card processing). Besides… > [@](#): > > an $18 tip, but a fairly blank merchant copy, an unscrupulous person could fill in a $0 tip, and take the $18 out of the register. The register still balances when they count at the end of the night (in fact, they \*have \*to take the $18, or the register wouldn’t balance). …I’m still not sure it adds up: I might have this all wrong, but: surely they’d be keeping a record of tips paid out in cash, right? For example, at the end of the night, it’s possible the person running the till could have tallied up all the credit card and debit card tips (including the $18), doctored the blank merchant copy and filled it with a ‘zero’ tip and wrote that ‘i hate gays’ message, then gave this doctored one back to Dayna, saying ‘you got stiffed’,’ gives Dayna her credit card tips less the $18 and pockets the $18 herself. Everything seems to add up; only difference is the $18 goes to the person running the register instead of Dayna. Problem is, the real invoice with the tip intact is submitted to the credit card company - the diners are charged the full amount, and the restaurant receives this full amount. The amount of tips received won’t match the amount recorded as having been paid out in cash ($18 less that was originally due Dayna but was pocketed by the person running the register). Granted, this is a while ago, but I’ve worked in restaurants, and precisely because cash is changing hands, to prevent possible abuses and to ensure transparency, floor managers always sat down with waitresses at the end of shifts to tally up all the tips and such, in front of everyone. Would be very interesting to see how this plays out for the restaurant involved; something doesn’t seem to add up. Anyway, [this](http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Gay-Server-Tip-Lifestyle-Receipt-Discrepancy-233040811.html): > [@](#): > > Whatever happened, the couple believes it may have begun with a misunderstanding. > They said they thought the hostess who sat the family told them their server would be “Dan,” and when Morales showed up at their table, the wife exclaimed “whoa, you’re not Dan.” > > Morales wrote in her Facebook post that the wife said, “oh I thought you were gonna say your name is Dan. You sure surprised us!” > > According to the couple, the rest of the meal with their two children went fine. And being called ‘Dan’ was just a bridge too far. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayna-morales-the-waitress-who-claims-she-didnt-get-tipped-because-of-her-homosexuality-exposed/674823/66 "2013-11-27T19:33:24Z")
> [@kstarnes](#): > > You’re basically correct, these hoaxes were almost exclusively reported media outlets deemed by many to be ‘Liberal,’ The media outlets are at fault too. This stuff is sensationalism and plays well with their audience’s to feel outraged. Call it outrage porn if you like. I consider the “War on Christmas” type stories to also pander to a target audience. So, in my opinion, it’s not just the Liberal Media that does RO. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayna-morales-the-waitress-who-claims-she-didnt-get-tipped-because-of-her-homosexuality-exposed/674823/67 "2013-11-27T19:43:46Z")
> [@DragonAsh](#): > > Problem is, the real invoice with the tip intact is submitted to the credit card company - the diners are charged the full amount, and the restaurant receives this full amount. I would be very surprised if the POS system did _not_ print out a report at end of day with all transactions, bills + tips. Any restaurantuers that can confirm this? ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayna-morales-the-waitress-who-claims-she-didnt-get-tipped-because-of-her-homosexuality-exposed/674823/68 "2013-11-27T21:04:57Z")
> [@bup](#): > > It’s been a long time since I was a server. I guess you’re right. > > But if there were a dedicated cash register person, they could just tell her she got stiffed, show her the fake receipt, and take the $18 - right? The cash register’s still in balance. I guess I’m positing a scenario where she doesn’t interact with the register. I suppose it’s possible that the cash register person grabbed the receipt, rang up the real charge, reprinted the receipt with no tip and a screed against gay people. It’s also possible that I cut myself fighting with samurai, but it’s probable that it was Occam’s Razor. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayna-morales-the-waitress-who-claims-she-didnt-get-tipped-because-of-her-homosexuality-exposed/674823/69 "2013-11-27T21:16:13Z")
> [@bup](#): > > When I was a server, the restaurant gave you cash out of the register for the credit card tips. It’s got to be the same way now. What are they going to do, give it to you electronically? > > So with an $18 tip, but a fairly blank merchant copy, an unscrupulous person could fill in a $0 tip, and take the $18 out of the register. The register still balances when they count at the end of the night (in fact, they \*have \*to take the $18, or the register wouldn’t balance). > > I’m not saying that’s what happened. I’m saying the customers are innocent, but I don’t know if Dayna is guilty or just got set up. The place I used to work, you’d get your credit card/debit tips once a week, since the majority were like that, otherwise the restaurant would have to carry a massive float. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayna-morales-the-waitress-who-claims-she-didnt-get-tipped-because-of-her-homosexuality-exposed/674823/70 "2013-11-27T21:27:54Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > It’s also possible that I cut myself fighting with samurai, but it’s probable that it was Occam’s Razor. Well, yeah. I just wasn’t ready to jump on a pile-on and burn her in effigy yet. We can always do that later. I thought my scenario, though less likely, was not ridiculous enough to dismiss out of hand. I’m getting closer to being ready to burn her at the stake, though. Every transaction almost certainly has a record of who rung it in 2013. When I was a server that wasn’t the case. I’m nearly certain that credit card companies require it these days, though. So the restaurant could have quickly checked who rung it up and cleared Morales if she wasn’t the person who actually rung it up. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayna-morales-the-waitress-who-claims-she-didnt-get-tipped-because-of-her-homosexuality-exposed/674823/71 "2013-11-27T21:56:14Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Every transaction almost certainly has a record of who rung it in 2013. When I was a server that wasn’t the case. I’m nearly certain that credit card companies require it these days, though. So the restaurant could have quickly checked who rung it up and cleared Morales if she wasn’t the person who actually rung it up. When I waited tables in college years ago, I had a server ID that I needed to enter to use the register since multiple servers were using one machine (there was another behind the bar and another in a separate dining room, but each had multiple users). I kept tips at the end of each shift. I needed to deposit the amount for all cash transactions minus the electronic tips. So, if I had $500 in credit/debit sales plus 20% in tips ($600) and $500 in cash sales plus 20% tips (again $600), I had to deposit $400 in cash and kept $200 in cash (my 20% on a $1000 of sales). At a diner, there might be a cashier, but the tip amount was part of the total charge and is recorded. I guess a cashier could tell a server there was no tip left at the register, but that is easily checked. ---
**Author:** ![DragonAsh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DragonAsh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DragonAsh)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayna-morales-the-waitress-who-claims-she-didnt-get-tipped-because-of-her-homosexuality-exposed/674823/72 "2013-11-27T23:33:46Z")
> [@dasmoocher](#): > > At a diner, there might be a cashier, but the **tip amount was part of the total charge and is recorded**. I guess a cashier could tell a server there was no tip left at the register, but that is easily checked. Yeah, basically this - the full amount received is recorded, and would have to match up at some point. Skimming off an electronic credit card payment strikes me as rather stupid when it’s so much easier to skim the cash tips… ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayna-morales-the-waitress-who-claims-she-didnt-get-tipped-because-of-her-homosexuality-exposed/674823/73 "2013-11-28T00:25:50Z")
Slightly off topic here … Since I didn’t see any of the original stories, I’m wondering how the customers would have known the waitress was gay or not? ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayna-morales-the-waitress-who-claims-she-didnt-get-tipped-because-of-her-homosexuality-exposed/674823/74 "2013-11-28T00:42:14Z")
> [@DragonAsh](#): > > Yeah, basically this - the full amount received is recorded, and would have to match up at some point. Skimming off an electronic credit card payment strikes me as rather stupid when it’s so much easier to skim the cash tips… Yeah. Some people pay the sales amount with a card and then leave cash for the tip. A cashier could skim that if it wasn’t left on the table. The more common scam at my place was to drop the same check more than one time on buffet orders. You could have several tables a night with one buffet and soft drink per person and if cash was used and the same number of people came in later, a server would give them a previous check and only ring up one cash transaction for multiple tables and pocket the cash. ---
**Author:** ![DragonAsh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DragonAsh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DragonAsh)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayna-morales-the-waitress-who-claims-she-didnt-get-tipped-because-of-her-homosexuality-exposed/674823/75 "2013-11-28T01:11:05Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > Slightly off topic here … Since I didn’t see any of the original stories, I’m wondering how the customers would have known the waitress was gay or not? Obviously they wouldn’t. I guess she claims they used their Gaydar ™ to pick it up, 'cause they thought she initially was called ‘Dan’ or she had short hair. Or something. ---
**Author:** ![Nothar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nothar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nothar)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayna-morales-the-waitress-who-claims-she-didnt-get-tipped-because-of-her-homosexuality-exposed/674823/76 "2013-11-28T01:34:23Z")
New article out [http://www.lohud.com/article/20131126/NEWS/311260034/Waitress-tip-tale-former-Stony-Point-resident-lies-about-everything-former-co-workers-friends-say?gcheck=1](http://www.lohud.com/article/20131126/NEWS/311260034/Waitress-tip-tale-former-Stony-Point-resident-lies-about-everything-former-co-workers-friends-say?gcheck=1) that pretty much shows that Morales is a pathological liar who has lied in the past about such things as having brain cancer, having her home destroyed by Hurricane Sandy, and being the sole survivor of her platoon in Afghanistan. This woman is seriously mentally ill, which might explain why she thought she could get away with this lie. Still makes her a dipshit to falsely accuse an innocent couple of homopbobic attacks and to solicit public sympathy and donations. ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayna-morales-the-waitress-who-claims-she-didnt-get-tipped-because-of-her-homosexuality-exposed/674823/77 "2013-11-28T03:37:43Z")
> [@DragonAsh](#): > > Obviously they wouldn’t. I guess she claims they used their Gaydar ™ to pick it up, 'cause they thought she initially was called ‘Dan’ or she had short hair. Or something. Sooo … seems that should have set off some alarms in all those folks on Facebook. ---
**Author:** ![Not\_Carlson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc79bd/32.png) [@Not\_Carlson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_Carlson)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayna-morales-the-waitress-who-claims-she-didnt-get-tipped-because-of-her-homosexuality-exposed/674823/78 "2013-11-28T03:44:12Z")
I like how the conversation turned civil the moment this thread got thrown in the pit. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayna-morales-the-waitress-who-claims-she-didnt-get-tipped-because-of-her-homosexuality-exposed/674823/79 "2013-11-28T04:48:26Z")
> [@bup](#): > > She claims to be donating everything that was donated to her to _Wounded Warriors Project_. It’ll be really interesting to see if that checks out. Do you have a different cite on this? All I’ve seen is from the [same story upthread](http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Gay-Server-Tip-Lifestyle-Receipt-Discrepancy-233040811.html): [QUOTE=NBC] Morales had recently announced that people were sending her tips from all over the world, and was donating **some** of the money to the Wounded Warrior Project. [/QUOTE] (bolding mine) ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayna-morales-the-waitress-who-claims-she-didnt-get-tipped-because-of-her-homosexuality-exposed/674823/80 "2013-11-28T07:08:43Z")
What I don’t get - and I mean I really don’t get - is why people feel compelled to send complete strangers money because they posted that something bad happened to them on Facebook, that something bad being called a racial slur or a homophobic comment on a restaurant check. Even assuming the stories turned out to be true, I’d think the patrons were assholes. The thought of sending either of the waitress’s money wouldn’t even cross my mind. The waitress at Red Lobster received $10,749 in donations on a $44.53 tab - which is a 24,100% tip. Unless I missed something, she didn’t even say she was sending _some_ of it to a charity. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayna-morales-the-waitress-who-claims-she-didnt-get-tipped-because-of-her-homosexuality-exposed/674823.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dayna-morales-the-waitress-who-claims-she-didnt-get-tipped-because-of-her-homosexuality-exposed/674823.md?page=5)