A restaurant in Tucson, Arizona was forced to close its doors after it received mass backlash over a Facebook post.
The owners of Cup it Up American Grill, Christopher Smith and Jay Warren posted a statement on their restaurants Facebook page last week that supported President Donald Trump.
The post that went viral and was later deleted stated “We believe in and support 100% in the following: OUR President, Always Standing for the National Anthem, repealing Obama Care…”
Topics that were praised in the post were God, the Bill of Rights, drug screening for welfare recipients, and the U.S. Armed Forces, among others.
A list of things they did not support included: “Those that DON’T respect our President, Armed Forces and First Responders, kneeling for the national anthem, Antifa, fake news, global warming and late night hosts getting political…”
The post also mentioned that the eatery would not broadcast NFL games until “the organization got it together.”
They concluded with: “If you like this post, please share it with 5 friends and we look forward to your next visit! If you disagree with this post, please share it with 100 friends and we won’t be expecting you anytime soon!”
Signs put up outside the restaurant on Monday, Oct. 9, announced it would close indefinitely as the safety of the employees was their greatest concern.
“We have made a decision to close our doors indefinitely as of today, Monday, October 9, 2017. The safety of our employees, and our families is of great concern and is our #1 priority at this time,” the statement said. “We would also like to extend a special thanks to our Military and First responders. Thank you all and God Bless.”
A regular customer of the restaurant, Ericka Ayup, told ABC15 he respected their decision.
“I respected their decision to speak up and be patriotic whether people agree or not,” Ayup told ABC 15. “It wasn’t smart for them to do what they did from a business aspect especially being down here in the University -- which is more liberal and young.”
In an updated Facebook post, the restaurant owners said that they still “believe in this great country” and thanked those that did support them through the ordeal.
“Even though our doors have closed in Tucson, our concept and beliefs are strong” the post on Saturday Oct. 14 said. “We still believe in this great country and plan to open a Cup It Up American Grill in a city near you.”
