A Christian and conservative nonprofit organization based in Richmond, Virginia, was rejected service at a restaurant due to its political beliefs.
The Family Foundation had scheduled an event at the Metzger Bar and Butchery on Wednesday but had its reservation canceled by the restaurant less than two hours before the scheduled time. The organization found out that its reservation had been canceled after a restaurant employee looked up the organization, and the restaurant’s waitstaff refused to serve it, according to the Family Foundation.
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“Are they planning to ask all customers what they believe and where they send their donations before allowing them to enter?” Family Foundation of Virginia President Victoria Cobb told the Washington Examiner. “Americans expect that we can hold differing views and even champion different causes while still dining at the same establishment.”
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The reservation was for an event with supporters to inform them further about the Family Foundation, Cobb said. A total of 15-20 people, consisting of the guests and some staff members, were meant to be in attendance.
Without mentioning the Family Foundation by name, the restaurant claims it canceled a scheduled event after the restaurant owners found out “it was a group of donors to a political organization that seeks to deprive women and LGBTQ+ persons of their basic human rights in Virginia.”
“We have always refused service to anyone for making our staff uncomfortable or unsafe and this was the driving force behind our decision,” read a statement the restaurant posted on social media. “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.”
Federal and state laws do not allow businesses, including restaurants, to discriminate based on protected classes, such as race, religion, sex, and more, according to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. When asked if the Family Foundation intends to take any legal action in response to the restaurant’s cancellation, Cobb said the focus of the organization is “ensuring that Christians and conservatives are aware that they can be the targets of such bigotry and intolerance.”
The organization is aware it will be cut off from services “in the current environment” in the future and that it will “pay more for goods and services because our options will be fewer,” Cobb wrote in a blog post. However, Cobb added that it will speak out whenever the organization encounters religious discrimination happening in Virginia.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Metzger Bar and Butchery declined to comment to the Washington Examiner on this story.
