Metzger Bar and Butchery in Richmond, Virginia canceled a private reservation for a group called "The Family Foundation" with only about 90 minutes to spare because one of the waitstaff looked up the group on the internet (which I guess is a thing waitstaff do now as a kind of preemptive ideological cleansing) and exposed the ugly truth:
They were Christians.
Worse, they were Christians who held Christian beliefs.
A restaurant in Richmond last week canceled a reservation for a private event being held by a conservative Christian organization, citing the group's opposition to same-sex marriage and abortion rights.
Sure, it was just for dessert, but let's face it, you never know what those crazy Christians might do, maybe show up in full Crusade mode, ready to slay anyone who might have the temerity to serve Basque Cheesecake with soggy Feuilletine! No! Such an affront to the Lord will not stand!
Of course, that wasn't the real danger, the real danger was that the staff might inadvertently overhear expressions of beliefs different from their own, a literal act of violence for those who have been fed a steady diet of narcissism, victimhood, and emotional frailty.
The restaurant explained their decision in an Instagram post:
Metzger Bar and Butchery has always prided itself on being an inclusive environment for people to dine in.
They're inclusive.
Just not inclusive inclusive.
Recently we refused service to a group that had booked an event with us after the owners of Metzger 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.
It's a "basic human right" to die at the hands of your own mother?
Interesting take.
Of course, this is about safety.
We have always refused service to anyone for making our staff uncomfortable or unsafe and this was the driving force behind our decision. 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. 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.
Is this legal? Well, according to the Washington Post "legal experts," absolutely!
Legal experts say... While it's illegal to discriminate against someone because of their race or religion, the restaurant's refusal had to do with the group's actions, said Elizabeth Sepper, a professor at the University of Texas. "It's about the overall positions and policies the group has taken — it's not about Christian vs. non-Christian," she said.
This is what is called, "a workaround."
(Can you imagine WaPo's reaction if this restaurant had refused service to drag queens or Planned Parenthood??)
The staff's objections were based on the group's opposition to gay marriage and abortion. Those positions are not political. They're religious. The group may be using the peaceful political process to further those beliefs as opposed to, say, setting buildings on fire, but the beliefs that so offended the waitstaff were based on the group's faith, not their politics.
Or perhaps the real crime was that they were willing to act on that faith.
Some have pointed out that turnabout is fair play and if conservatives are going to support a baker refusing to make a gay wedding cake, it's only fair that a restaurant can turn away Christians looking to order dessert off the menu.
This is a silly comparison that evaporates after a few seconds of examination.
Creating a cake for a gay wedding is forcing a person to play an active role in the event. Serving a group of strangers Chocolate Bombe is not the same thing.
It should be further noted that this group of Christians, the ones that were informed that their mere presence would make the staff feel "unsafe," were perfectly willing to dine at an establishment where the waitstaff was, viewed from the Christians' perspective, in favor of murdering babies.
One has to wonder who the truly "inclusive" people are.
If the waitstaff is so 100% sure of their life decisions, why are they so terrified of being in the same room as people who could offer a different perspective?
Incidentally, should you want to book a private event at Metzger's, I'm afraid you'll have to wait.
