Remember that old saying about there being no such thing as bad press?

The owners of Nathaniel's Restaurant in Owen Sound may beg to differ:

When she took part in a local fundraiser for cancer research, all Stacey Fearnall thought she had to lose was a full head of hair.

Instead, the 36-year-old waitress at Nathaniels restaurant in Owen Sound, who raised more than $2,700 for the charity Cops for Cancer in exchange for her locks, was laid off when she showed up for work earlier this week with a shorn head.

Okay, that's pretty bad: the restaurant sounds like a medium-bad employer from circa 1965. But it gets worse . . .

"Nobody would really look at her, make eye contact. They didn't really say anything and it made her feel kind of less than human."

It was a slow night so she came home early, but when she called to say she'd be in the next day, she was told not to bother, he added.

Nathaniels owner and chef Dan Hilliard defended his decision, saying the restaurant has certain standards. He prohibits male staff from wearing earrings and requires employees keep their hair at a reasonable length.

Yikes. I'm guessing that Mr. Hilliard will be banning customers from bringing in copies of the Toronto Star after this.