On Saturday, September 6, Mario Avalos, better known by his handle @lastbitemiami, posted an Instagram Reel that may have just changed the life of a deserving woman. In the video, the 33-year-old Miami native begins with the kind of late-night banter you’d expect at a diner booth: “You’re a hero. You’re like Batman. You’re like Wonder Woman, bro. You realize that?” But this wasn’t just a joke. It was the start of a sincere appreciation video to Cathy, the longtime server at the Denny’s on Bird Road and 87th Avenue.
Now, after more than two decades of serving Miami with bottomless coffee, late-night mozzarella sticks, and endless kindness, the 70-year-old grandmother of two has been fired. The news stunned Avalos, as well as her slew of regulars, many of whom grew up with her as a steady presence in their lives. “I found out she got fired because some of my friends went to Denny’s last Thursday night, and when I woke up, they called me saying, ‘Yo, Cathy got fired,’ so I reached out immediately and called her to ask what happened,'” he tells New Times.
New Times reached out to the Denny’s on Bird Road for comment, where a manager informed New Times they have “no comment.” New Times is waiting to hear back from Denny’s corporate.
The Heart of the Bird Road Denny’s for Over 20 Years
For Avalos and countless Miamians, the Bird Road Denny’s wasn’t just a spot for late-night milkshakes, mozzarella sticks, or chicken tenders. It was the place you went to at 2 a.m. when you were 18 years old with your first car, as it was always the only place that would welcome you and your friends when every other door in the city was closed. And at the center of that universe wasn’t the laminated menus or the bottomless coffee. It was Cathy…