Sonoma Restaurant Closes Amid Backlash Over Server's Departure for Her BLM Mask

A popular Sonoma restaurant said Wednesday it temporarily shut its doors after receiving backlash over a former employee’s assertion that she was forced to quit for wearing a Black Lives Matter mask to work, according to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle. Jodi Hernandez reports.

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[theviewer]

Nobody wants to hear political or social comments when people go out to eat.

[lance]

I feel badly for the restaurant owner. One employee who wants to make her own rules can ruin a business overnight. This cancel culture is really a problem. Nobody’s safe anymore.

[selinalau]

sjw sends death threats? imagine my shock 🙄🙄🙄

[goosedown]

As an African-American I can tell you this is 100% out of control. This has nothing to do with her support of BLM but everything to do with her own self righteousness.

[kathleencooney]

If a business requires a uniform they must provide it. They provided it. If she wore a Trump mask, people would riot !
This is ridiculous.

[rossainiecellero]

She shouldn't bring her politics to the workplace.

[toyotarizzle]

She can just wear a Bureau of Land Management mask instead, it's close enough.

[milos.]

Maybe she should open her own restaurant. It would be interesting to see how she would deal with an employee wearing a mask she didn't like. Something racist like "all lives matter"?

[aa]

I can't believe our country has become so BS. If you own a company, you have the right to your dress code. This waitress is just a trouble maker to get attention and people fell for it. What right do you give these small business owners? If I'm a small business owner, I would definitely not hire these types of staff. You take your own opinion when you're off work, not during business hours.

[bjlyon]

If a BLM mask is not part of the official uniform then don’t wear one. If you want to wear one then do it on your own time. If other employees were wearing masks with logos other than Girl & Fig logo and this particular employee was singled out for wearing a BLM mask, then she would have a legitimate case but I suspect that’s not what happened here.

[jungte]

Yeah cause wearing a BLM mask at this restaurant is really going make a HUGE difference....there is a time a place for political things and this was not. I don’t understand why she had problem with the restaurant trying to stay neutral. Some people just abuse the BLM movement with silly stunts like this, it really deflects from the real reason for the movement.

[utubestalker.dotcom]

What you do on your own time is your business, What you do at work is the request of your employer. Don't have to be a Karen about it

[anthonybelvin]

Q: What's the difference between Batman and BLM?
A: Batman can go to a store without Robin. 🙂

[paporamos]

It's what BLM does best telling restaurant owners on how to run their business.

[NaturalElicia]

If she's so concern about that movement why doesn't she go work for them!

[tea]

Why is in a free country a restaurant owner can’t tell their employees what not to wear? If a Trump supporter waitress wears a mask to serve me dinner, I wouldn’t like that either. Good for her for wanting to make a stand for BLM but is it necessary or bring it to work? And for people to make threads to the restaurants over this? Why does everything has to be politicized and polarized?

[Tricia]

Sure there is always room to improve and more can be done Kimmie! When are you going to open your own restaurant and gamble with your own money/profits/losses and staff. It is something you feel that strongly about than we can look forward to your social justice eatery.

[lomerc]

Way to ruin a restaurant. This business wanted to maintain a sense of neutrality by have a standard professional uniform. Just because they enforced a dress code to work there, they shouldn't have to face this kind of backlash. Its sad now in days if you don't publicly endorse BLM or LGBT or allow it to be part of your business, you are automatically assumed to be racist and against it. This business just wanted to maintain a professional appearance. Im sure if she was wearing a "MAGA" mask, this restaurant would be under fire as well. Best to keep a neutral dress code

[emmyscott]

I am pretty sure most workplaces have policies in place that you can’t wear anything political or social etc.

[ronmm]

It's a business not a political platform. The policy that was implemented was so that it remains neutral . What if patrons who were offended by her display of BLM decided to take their business elsewhere? And they so stated in a forum or social media. Because of her they lost business, and most likely had to let her go. What would you say then, if it was your business? Also, keep it real.