DUBLIN, Ohio (WCMH) — A restaurant owner who’s been harassed for two years with racist threats finally spoke out — and felt his customer’s support, one with a check for $1,000.

Vishal Patel, the owner of Curry Up Indian Grill on Sawmill Parkway, didn’t intend to go public about the vicious threats, swearing, and fake orders he’s endured for about two years. He says he filed police reports, and kept the problems to himself. On top of that, his business was also burglarized three times.

But earlier in the week, a customer overheard him talking to one of the people who’s been calling him and making racist threats. That customer wrote about it on Reddit, and word got out.

This morning, a guest came in with a heart-warming card for Patel, written by her daughters. “You do not have to be mad or sad about what people say,” the card said in neat printing. “It matters what you think you are just fine the way you are. We support you.”

In the afternoon, people who had seen his story stopped by to lend their support. Then, at about 3:15 p.m., a man came into the shop and spoke quietly to Patel. He handed him a check for $1,000.

“I asked him if he was ok that we take that money and donate it to a restaurant relief fund because there are a lot more people that need it than we do at the moment,” Patel said.

Patel reflected after the donor left the restaurant: “The support that we receive from both sides — left and right — has been amazing. There are good and bad everywhere, and we don’t want our story to divide our community.

“Things get discouraging, but with this we hope there is a way that all this stops, and the police department takes more of an active role to make sure it doesn’t happen to other businesses as well.”

Patel added that the mystery donor said as he left the restaurant that he was heading to other businesses in the area to make more donations.