Days after Santiago Orosco posted on his Facebook page that one of his American-born servers was left a bigoted note for speaking Spanish, he and his staff have been targeted by internet trolls, accused of faking the post for publicity.

The incident happened Thursday night when a couple did not leave a tip for their server, replacing it with a note on the back of their receipt that read “Don’t Tip Immigrants!!!” after hearing her speak Spanish to a dishwasher, Orosco said.

Now, people are leaving mean-spirited and racist reviews on his Facebook page and trolling his company.

“They have no basis of anything, to accuse me of anything. It was an honest, genuine move trying to protect my employee and to make people aware this is a serious issue and it’s still out there,” he said. “I don’t need the publicity. I’ve been here 13 years.”

The server, Lorena Bassi, defended her decision to post about the couple who left the anti-immigrant sentiment on her receipt, even after complimenting her service.

“I just want everyone to know that my post about the couple who decided to write the nasty comment, ‘Don’t Tip Immigrants’ was never about the tip. My boss and I are overwhelmed with all of the people wanting to send me tips. I didn’t post this to get anything out of it other than awareness,” she wrote on Facebook.

The note was left by a couple in their mid-40s, he said.

Under The Moon Cafe, an Argentine-inspired eatery, opened in Bordentown in 2006. In 2017, another location opened in Lambertville.

Orosco said he was shocked, but not surprised, to receive this note.

“I never intended it to get this big. It was just about standing up and saying enough is enough and stop the badgering of Spanish (speaking) people," he said.

During Orosco’s interview with NJ Advance Media on Monday afternoon, he received a call from a someone who told him “homosexuality is a mental illness” and “all immigrants are squatters.” Several one-star reviews have also been left on the restaurant’s Facebook page.

Under the Moon Cafe's original location in Bordentown

“Horrible service. Server was speaking another language the entire time,” one review reads. Another calls the staff racist.

Orosco, a gay man who emigrated from Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1991, said the discrimination hurts, and thinks it comes from a place of ignorance. But he hopes the incident reminds people that everyone is an immigrant in America.

“This country is a country of immigrants. I’m pretty sure everyone’s parents or grandparents came from somewhere else but the United States. So they have to be a little bit more understanding, more loving, and open their hearts and open their minds to other cultures,” he said.

The support he’s received from residents and loyal customers has reminded him there are good people in the world, and people who understand that America still is a melting pot of immigrants, he said.

Several Facebook commenters expressed support for the cafe, noting they would come eat there when in the area. People have also offered to donate money, but he’s declined it all so far.

“It’s not about the money. It was never about the money. It’s about getting the word out there about the constant discrimination we face as Latinos," he added.

Bossi wrote on Facebook that “to make a negative thing into something positive,” she will ask people to send donations to a charity in her name.

Orosco said he hopes the couple who left the note learns to understand immigrants and be kind to other people, regardless of their race or background.

“The bottom line is immigrants come here to look for a better future. People don’t walk 3,000 miles with a toddler on their shoulders to come and steal from people or smuggle drugs,” he said. “Not everybody’s a saint, but the vast majority from my experience with Spanish immigrants and all other ethnicities, all we want is to have a better future.”

Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @snietomunoz. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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