A restaurant in California is refusing to follow new coronavirus restrictions and erected a banner reading “The French Laundry” over its sign, in reference to the swanky French restaurant where Gov. Gavin Newsom was seen breaking his own virus orders.
“This Redondo Beach restaurant has a not so subtle message for CA. Owner Alex says he’s defying LA County orders to close outdoor dining because it’s not about him, it’s about all the workers that rely on him for livelihoods, and he can’t leave them stranded right before Christmas,” KTLA reporter Christina Pascucci tweeted, accompanied by a photo.
This Redondo Beach restaurant has a not so subtle message for CA. Owner Alex says he’s defying LA County orders to close outdoor dining because it’s not about him, it’s about all the workers that rely on him for livelihoods, and he can’t leave them stranded right before Christmas pic.twitter.com/rRlUGlKbkR
— Christina Pascucci (@ChristinaKTLA) November 29, 2020
Eat at Joe’s owner Alex Jordan said he won’t lay off his employees ahead of Christmas and added that he’s seen no scientific evidence proving eating outside is causing a spread of the virus.
“We’re still open because I have very loyal employees who have been with me for many, many years. And putting them out of work without any government aid or stimulus or help four weeks before Christmas time is just not OK in any way, shape, or form with me,” he said. “The fact that they are letting other businesses be open 20% or 25%, and penalizing us, doesn’t seem fair.”
“COVID is a terrible thing. There is no argument there,” he said. “But I’m not sure that picking on restaurants to such a degree is the answer. It hasn’t been proven through any medical numbers that eating outside is causing this. So why do they have to close us down? We are following all the rules to a T, and still, they want to close us down.”
Jordan added that he hasn’t received pushback for remaining open and has not been told to shut down.
“I think it’s important for us to send a message that we can’t just let other people tell us what to do all the time when it’s wrong,” Jordan said.
The sign on Eat at Joe’s comes after photos of the Democratic governor dining in a French restaurant called The French Laundry with people from other households and not wearing a mask appeared online, sparking outrage.
In New York, restaurant owners are taking similar steps as Jordan, with one pub on Staten Island declaring itself an “autonomous zone” free from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s restrictions.
“!ATTENTION! We hereby declare this establishment an !!!AUTONOMOUS ZONE!!!” a sign outside of Mac’s Public House in Grant City says, which hearkens back to the autonomous zone in Seattle this summer. “We refuse to abide by any rules and regulations put forth by the Mayor of NYC and Governor of NY State.”
