'We Will Not Be Silenced': Virginia Restaurant Denies Service to Conservative Group Metzger Bar & Butchery in Richmond, Virginia is making headlines for an incident that occurred with a large Christian group last week.
By Emily Rella
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
A highly conservative Christian group was denied by a Virginia restaurant after the eatery heard about the group's anti-same-sex marriage stance.
Metzger Bar & Butchery, a restaurant serving "European-fare," posted to multiple social media accounts last week confirming that its owner refused to give a reservation to The Family Foundation, which they called "a group of donors to a political organization that seeks to deprive women and LGBTQ+ persons of their basic human rights in Virginia," noting that many members of Metzger's staff include women and people in the LGBTQ community.
"We have always refused service to anyone for making our staff uncomfortable or unsafe and this was the driving force behind our decision," the company wrote on Facebook and Instagram. "We respect our staff's established rights as humans and strive to create a work environment where they can do their jobs with dignity, comfort and safety."
The Family Foundation, a Christian-based non-profit, clapped back in a note on their official website, stating that the restaurant had "canceled" them and left them "scrambling" and accused Metzger of denying them religious freedom in the state of Virginia.
"About an hour and a half before the event was set to take place, one of the restaurant's owners called our team to cancel the event," the group wrote. "Our witness will not be diminished, and we will not be silenced. We will speak out when we see this type of religious discrimination occurring in Virginia."
Many seemed to be in support of the restaurant, which posted a follow-up Instagram announcing that they would be donating all proceeds from one specialty cocktail for one night to LGBTQ advocacy organization Equality Virginia.
The cocktail was cheekily named, "Cracks in the Foundation."
As of Friday morning, Metzger had limited comments on Facebook and Instagram in the posts regarding the incident.
The 8-year-old restaurant is co-owned by former Top Chef contestant Brittany Anderson, who specializes in German and Alpine cuisine.
