DES MOINES, Iowa -- A popular waitress at a restaurant in Iowa was closing out one of her tables on Tuesday night when she found a note on the receipt.
Taelor Beeck
“At first, I felt really upset. I felt attacked. I almost felt like I was back in middle school all over again, like being bullied," Taelor Beeck told WHO-TV. "I felt like a burning anger inside of me."
On a bill worth $17.26, the tip line was crossed out.
"Tips are only for normal looking people,” the patron wrote.
"But I didn't act on it because it's not worth it when someone puts hate out there, you know to respond in a hateful way will do no good," Beeck said.
Beeck describes herself as an individual. She said she was stiffed out of the money that people in the service industry rely on to pay their bills.
"I mean I can't pay my bills if people don't tip me," Beeck said. "That's how I make a living."
Orchestrate Hospitality, the parent company of Zombie Burger is standing behind its employee and released this statement:
"We believe that Zombie Burger is a place that celebrates individuality.
We stand by our staff.
We also believe that our customers enjoy zombie burger because it is a wonderfully unique place and that includes the team members.
We are in 100% support of our staff.
And we’re confident that our customers will be as well.
She is an example of a great team member and we are standing by her."
"It's the way that I can express myself artistically and it's really important for me that I'm allowed to do that, and it's ok if people don't understand it because it's just who I am," Beeck said.
Beeck says she'll keep flaunting the style that reflects her personality. As for the customer who wrote the note, Beeck has a few words of her own.
"I would tell them to not judge someone based on what they look like," Beeck said. "I mean, I may look like a weirdo but I'm actually a very nice, decent person."
Zombie Burger employees said Beeck is one of the restaurant's most popular waitresses.
