Ukrainian refugee receives generous $500 tip serving pizza at N.S. restaurant

Ukrainian refugee Mariia Dibrova arrived in Nova Scotia last month with her mother Iryna and works at Betty’s at the Kitch in Mahone Bay. (Source: Facebook/bettysatthekitchns)

When a couple walked into the Betty’s at the Kitch restaurant in Mahone Bay, N.S., earlier this month, they left quite an impression -- and a generous tip.

Their server, Ukrainian refugee Mariia Dibrova, arrived in the province last month with her mother Iryna. They settled in the town with help from Betty Hutton and Danielle King, who own Betty’s at the Kitch.

King describes the restaurant as a “cheeky place” with a large pizza oven and wine bar.

“We like to do things a little different,” she said in a phone interview with CTV News.

The restaurant partners say they felt “helpless” while watching the Russian invasion of Ukraine on TV.

“We were at a loss, appalled, watching the news every day,” said King. “We didn’t know what to do.”

Eager to help, the pair reached out to the Ukrainian consulate in Halifax. A short time later, they received a call from the consulate, stating that Mariia and Iryna needed a place to stay once they arrived in Nova Scotia, and Mariia had previously worked in a restaurant.

“She had hospitality experience in Dubai, which made it a fairly easy transition for them,” said King.

Mariia and her mother moved in with Hutton and both soon began work at Betty’s at the Kitch. King says her staff have been encouraging of the new employees, with some even trying to learn some Ukrainian phrases.

On July 5, the restaurant started extending its hours and opening for lunch. It was Mariia’s first shift at work after completing her training on how to use the large wood-fired pizza.

Her first customers of the day chatted with Mariia and noticed her accent. Inspired by her story, they left a $500 tip on their $44.85 bill, leaving the server “overwhelmed and shocked.”

The restaurant makes weekly “Meet a Betty” posts on its Facebook account, introducing the public to their staff. In a July 16 post, the restaurant shared the story of the generous tip, calling it an “unbelievably heart warming gesture and beautiful welcome to our community.”

Mariia was able to go shopping with her mother with the extra money, which King says is especially heartwarming considering they both arrived with only one suitcase between the two of them.

King hopes the story will encourage others to give back.

“We wanted people to know there is kindness in the world,” she said. “I believe there are ways everyone can help.”

While not everyone is able to leave a large tip, King says people who want to help can sponsor, support, employ or house Ukrainians.

“There’s always something you can do,” she said.

King and Hutton’s own generosity continues; they’ve found a long-term rental for Mariia and Iryna beginning at the end of September so they’ll be able to work and stay in Mahone Bay.