A sever who said she was fired days after receiving - and sharing - a $10,000 tip at the Michigan restaurant she worked at is speaking out about what she says happened.
Linsey Boyd was at the center of a feel-good story that grabbed national attention.
A man dining at a small-town Michigan breakfast cafe surprised everyone when he decided to leave a $10,000 tip -- asking only that his server share it with those who were working that day. The generous act of kindness was in memory of the man's friend, whose funeral he was attending in town that day.
Boyd was the server -- and yes, she shared the massive tip with her colleagues.
The restaurant touted the moment on social media, saying, "In a time where so much is happening, we wanted to share and thank the person who did this life changing act.
"Things can feel real heavy sometimes, but this was such an amazing act to have seen first hand in our restaurant. So to everyone doing what they can for themselves, and for others, we see you, thank you, and appreciate you. Keep sharing the love where you can folks," the cafe wrote in a post on their now-deleted Facebook page.
But in the days that followed, the heartwarming story seemed to take a darker turn.
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Boyd revealed in a now-deleted Facebook post that she was fired from the restaurant and alluded to drama that surfaced following the generous act. At the time, the owners of the restaurant said they were limited in their response on the matter, but said the firing was not related to the tip.
In a recent interview, however, Boyd said the tip sparked animosity, with some coworkers upset about the distribution of the tip.
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“I at least made them aware of things that were being said, and I also wanted those rumors and any animosity to be dealt with.” she told a local news station.
Days after she reported the allegedly toxic environment to management, she was fired, with Boyd saying her manager told her "the best way to calm the situation and to move forward was for me to not come back."
When Boyd posted about her experience on facebook, she said she was threatened with legal action and told to remove it. So she did.
The cafe reportedly shared a post on social media saying they could not comment on the matter due to labor laws, but NBC Chicago could not confirm the post as the restaurant has since deleted their Facebook page and turned their Instagram private.
Boyd's lawyer told local media that the former server isn’t planning legal action against the Mason Jar Cafe, but is only asking for the threats to stop.
Mason Jar Cafe declined to comment on the reports when reached by NBC Chicago Thursday.
