Virginia Restaurant denies service to conservative Christian group

A very conservative Christian group was turned down by a Virginia restaurant after the eatery learned about the group’s anti-gay marriage stance.

Metzger Bar & Butchery, a restaurant that serves “European cuisine,” posted confirmation on multiple social media accounts last week that its owner refused to give a reservation to The Family Foundation, which they call “a group of donors from a political organization seeking to deprive women and LGBTQ+ individuals of their basic human rights in Virginia,” noting that many members of Metzger’s staff are women and people in the LGBTQ community.

“We have always refused service to anyone because they made our staff uncomfortable or unsafe and this was the driving force behind our decision,” the company wrote. Facebook and Instagram. “We respect our employees’ vested rights as human beings and strive to create a work environment where they can do their jobs with dignity, comfort and safety.”

The Family Foundation, a Christian-based nonprofit organization, hit back in a note on their official website, saying the restaurant had “cancelled” them and made them “scramble” and accused Metzger of violating religious freedom in the state of Virginia. to have denied.

“About an hour and a half before the event was due to take place, one of the restaurant’s owners called our team to cancel the event,” the statement said. group wrote. “Our testimony will not be diminished and we will not be silenced. We will speak up when we see this kind of religious discrimination occurring in Virginia.”

Many seemed to support the restaurant, which posted a follow-up to Instagram announcing that they would be donating all proceeds from one night’s specialty cocktail to LGBTQ advocacy group 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 about the incident.

The 8-year-old restaurant is co-owned by former Top Chef contestant Brittany Anderson, who specializes in German and Alpine cuisine.