Jon Stewart is apparently going to launch himself into the debate about restaurant discounts for praying.
Earlier this year, a restaurant called Mary’s Gourmet Diner in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, achieved brief stardom for providing a 15 percent discount to any patron “praying in public.”
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After atheists complained and the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) threatened a lawsuit, 60-year-old owner Mary Haglund suspended the discount. However, Haglund now predicts that comedian Jon Stewart might just come to her defense.
The restaurant owner will appear in one of Stewart’s segments on “The Daily Show” this week, and Haglund told WGHP-TV that the show’s producers seemed sympathetic to her cause when they filmed the clip at her restaurant back in November.
“[The producers] told me they saw me as a nice lady trying to do something positive and pretty much got bullied by the FFRF,” recalled Haglund. “The ‘Daily Show’ folks see the FFRF people as being petty and that they should perhaps choose their battles better.”
Nevertheless, Haglund suggested that she won’t be upset if Stewart makes fun of her.
“It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed the process,” she explained. “I can’t wait to see what they do with it. I love the show, and yes, if anyone makes fun of me, let it be Jon Stewart!”
“I felt like it was all in good fun, but we will see, huh?” added Haglund. “I’m also honored to be a part of bringing attention to Winston-Salem. I hope everyone enjoys it in the spirit in which it was intended.”
