so Harlems Sylvia shouldn't be able to deny service to a white supremacist organization?
a jewish restaurant should have to host a neo nazi gathering?
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Restaurant refuses service to Christian group, citing staff ‘dignity’
- Thread starter bnew
- Start date
so Harlems Sylvia shouldn't be able to deny service to a white supremacist organization?
a jewish restaurant should have to host a neo nazi gathering?
Godless Socialist CEO
Superstar
Good, fukk emMSN
www.msn.com
Story by Emily Heil
Yesterday 2:04 PM
A restaurant in Richmond last week canceled a reservation for a private event being held by a conservative Christian organization, citing the group’s opposition to same-sex marriage and abortion rights.
Restaurant refuses service to Christian group, citing staff ‘dignity’© Jay Paul for The Washington Post
“We have always refused service to anyone for making our staff uncomfortable or unsafe and this was the driving force behind our decision,” read an Instagram post from Metzger Bar and Butchery, a German-influenced restaurant in the Union Hill neighborhood whose kitchen is helmed by co-owner Brittanny Anderson, a veteran of TV cooking shows including “Top Chef” and “Chopped.” “Many of our staff are women and/or members of the LGBTQ+ community. All of our staff are people with rights who deserve dignity and a safe work environment. We respect our staff’s established rights as humans and strive to create a work environment where they can do their jobs with dignity, comfort and safety.”
The group, the Family Foundation, was set to host a dessert reception for supporters on Nov. 30, the group’s president, Victoria Cobb, wrote in a blog post describing the incident. About an hour and a half before it was slated to start, one of the restaurant’s owners called to cancel it, she wrote. “As our VP of Operations explained that guests were arriving at their restaurant shortly, she asked for an explanation,” Cobb wrote. “Sure enough, an employee looked up our organization, and their wait staff refused to serve us.”
The Family Foundation is based in Richmond and advocates for “policies based on biblical principles.” It has lobbied against same-sex marriage and abortion rights.
In an interview, Cobb said that since she posted about it, she has heard from people alarmed by the story and from other dining establishments making it clear they would be welcome. “A lot of people are outraged that a restaurant wants to make a litmus test at the door,” she said. “Everyone should be concerned that people are being denied service based on their politics.”
In her blog post, Cobb likened the restaurant’s move to establishments that refused to serve Black customers in the 1950s and ’60s, and she decried what she called a “double standard” by liberals who think a Colorado baker should not be allowed to refuse to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple.
Legal experts say neither of those are apt analogies. While it’s illegal to discriminate against someone because of their race or religion, the restaurant’s refusal had to do with the group’s actions, said Elizabeth Sepper, a professor at the University of Texas. “It’s about the overall positions and policies the group has taken — it’s not about Christian vs. non-Christian,” she said. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, D.C., Seattle and the Virgin Islands specifically protect people from being refused service because of their political affiliation or ideology.
Reached by phone, Metzger co-owner Kjell Anderson said the owners had no comment beyond the Instagram post.
Restaurants have made news for taking issue with their patrons’ politics. Sarah Sanders, then the White House press secretary and now the governor-elect of Arkansas, was asked to leave the Red Hen in Lexington, Va., in 2018. The owner of the restaurant, Stephanie Wilkinson, wrote that she thought Sanders was “a person whose actions in the service of our country we felt violated basic standards of humanity.” And a judge in 2018 sided with a New York bar that ejected a customer for wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat in support of President Donald Trump.
If past is prologue, Metzger’s move — which was first reported by Virginia Business — is likely to bring it both criticism and support. Wilkinson described the aftermath of the incident with Sanders — which made headlines around the world — as intense. Her phone lines were hacked, she and her staff had private information about them posted online, and many of them received death threats. People took to Yelp, leaving fake negative reviews, and made reservations they had no intention of keeping. But Wilkinson said people also showed their support by driving in from miles away and by donating to local charities.
As of Tuesday, Metzger’s Yelp page was frozen and an “Unusual Activity Alert” was added. “This business recently received increased public attention, which often means people come to this page to post their views on the news,” the notice reads. “While we don’t take a stand one way or the other when it comes to this incident, we’ve temporarily disabled the posting of content to this page as we work to investigate whether the content you see here reflects actual consumer experiences rather than the recent events.”
The restaurant and the foundation used interest in the event to fundraise. Metzger on Saturday posted an image of a bourbon-based cocktail dubbed “Cracks in the Foundation” and said it would donate the profits from its sale to Equality Virginia, a group that advocates for LGBTQ rights. “We are so grateful to our many guests and neighbors for their support the past few days!” read the Instagram post. “To say thank you we are donating all proceeds from this cocktail to @equalityva tonight!”
And in its blog post describing the incident, the Family Foundation sought donations, too. “Will you consider a donation today to support our efforts to ensure that no Virginian will ever have to worry about being refused a simple meal because of his or her religious beliefs?” the post read.
Elim Garak
Veteran
I said I don't support discrimination those are fukking terrorists groups lol that's a whole different thing. I know this is thecoli but come on my nikka.
dude they are actively working to ensure those employees become second class citizens. terrorist don't just start at terrorism, dehumanizing rhetoric is almost always the first step.I said I don't support discrimination those are fukking terrorists groups lol that's a whole different thing. I know this is thecoli but come on my nikka.
Associate their business? They’re a service company. Getting paid to serve people food isn’t “associating.” Does Chik-fil-A refuse to serve gay people based on the company’s beliefs?
I could understand if this meeting or gathering was centered around ideas that they didn’t believe in or if the people were openly criticizing the workers for their lifestyles, but searching the groups website and refusing service based on their political position, and that position has no effect on the service, is a bit extra.
If you’d serve these people and never know their beliefs without asking, then you should just serve them, not go and do a background check on them.
Nkrumah Was Right
Superstar
You think evangelical Christianity hypocrisy is postmodern? Why?
This. Christian bigots believe their "sincerely held beliefs" grant them an exception from anti discrimination law. Glass houses.We have a case in the Supreme Court right now because Christians keep wanting to do this. They brought it on themselves
Relax. Don't ever disrespect ChristWho are you trying to fool?
Actually like I said in this instance it’s the restaurant who was hypocritical.