The president of a conservative Christian advocacy group that refused to serve members at a Richmond, Virginia restaurant responded Wednesday to a statement saying its employees have “always refused service” to anyone who made them feel “uncomfortable or unsafe.”
“We’re certainly shocked that this happened, and I think a lot of people think food service is something we all agree on,” Virginia Family Foundation President Victoria Cobb told Harris Faulkner about Faulkner in the Spotlight.
“It’s so amazing and no Christian can eat here,” he added, accusing the restaurant of “religious discrimination.”
STARBUCKS CLAIMS 2 CALIFORNIA DEPUTY DRESSED DEPUTY REFUSED SERVICE
Metzger Bar & Butchery, a German restaurant in Richmond, Virginia, is under fire after it refused to serve a Christian organization.
(Fox News (Screenshot))
In a statement defending the conservative group’s decision to cancel reservations, Metzger Bar & Butchery emphasized the importance of “dignity” and a “safe work environment” for employees, but Cobb said it was irresponsible to place the blame on wait staff.
“Sure, they can leave it up to their community, but the owner called, they made an official statement, and the bottom line is the buck stops with the restaurant owner,” he said.
“Restaurants can’t discriminate against their employees, even if they’re discriminatory. They can be hateful, they can be bigots, but this restaurant has no right to simply say, ‘We’re not going to let you eat here.'” “
HAWKS LEGEND DOMINIQUE WILKINS SAYS HE WAS NOT SERVED AT ATLANTA RESTAURANT BECAUSE OF RACE
Metzger’s Bar and Butcher in Richmond, Virginia.
(Fox News)
The German-style restaurant is owned by TV chef Brittany Anderson, best known for her work on Top Chef and Chopped. The restaurant manager called a member of Cobb’s group at the last minute last week to inform them that their reservation had been canceled.
“Fortunately, we were able to move on to another restaurant that graciously took us in. Since then, we’ve gotten a lot of offers from people,” Cobb said.
In a Dec. 1 post by Metzger Bar & Butchery, his faith-based nonprofit that promotes religious principles in family and government, Cobb criticized the “double standard of the left.”
“Our team and supporters had the same experience last night when Metzger’s Bar and Butcher in Richmond, VA refused to serve our pre-booked event, leaving us stranded minutes early,” Cobb’s post read.
“For several weeks, we had planned to gather supporters and interested parties in a private room to communicate and receive updates on our work. About an hour and a half before the event, one of the restaurant owners called us. The team organized the event. canceled. As our VP of Operations explained that guests were coming to their restaurant soon, he asked for clarification. Sure enough, an employee searched our establishment and their wait staff refused to serve us.