The co-owner of The Big Board said that because his restaurant refused to bend to Washington, D.C.’s vaccine mandate, his establishment has been slapped with health code violations and forced to shut down.
Eric Flannery said his staff has been battered by local agencies who have placed massive signs on his door and ruled that The Big Board cannot sell alcohol, according to comments he made while speaking on NewsTalk 105.9 WMAL Thursday.
However, that did not stop patrons from supporting the business, Flannery said.
DC RESTAURANT THAT DEFIED COVID-19 MANDATES FORCED TO CLOSE
“We complied, and guess what, we were busy all weekend. We were a bar-restaurant that couldn’t serve alcohol, and we were busy,” he told O’Connor & Company.
Then the Health Department came on Tuesday, according to Flannery.
“The Department of Health came in while all the senators and nice people were there at the restaurant, and they told us that they were going to summarily suspend our business license,” he said. “They removed the business license. So, we were closed yesterday, and we’re going to be closed today.”
He attempted to appeal both his liquor license suspension and Health Department suspension but alleged that the Health Department would not allow him to file by 3:00 p.m., Flannery said.
The local restaurant owner is required to show up by 1:15 p.m., he said.
No punishment has befallen The Big Board yet, but Flannery insisted he has felt the full force of Washington’s governmental agencies.
“What we, what we will get right now is a meeting with the D.C. APRA board of directors. This is a group of six people that is appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the city council. I want to go with that meeting and try and convince them that we should be open because we’re doing absolutely nothing wrong,” he said.
The Big Board proprietor has no opinions on the vaccine and said it is not his job to make sure people have received the jab.
“I’m not a government agent, and, quite frankly, it’s not my job to check your personal medical history for you to come in. I trust you, I believe in you, just how I have all of these years,” Flannery noted.
“I’m not a medical doctor, I don’t have any opinions on the vaccine. You should talk with your medical doctor and make an informed decision on your own and decide that.”
A GoFundMe account and legal defense fund have been set up to help The Big Board, he said.
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“We know we’re right. We know we’re doing the right thing. We know people are still coming,” according to Flannery. “It’s unbelievable. I can’t believe the support.”
