A Honolulu restaurant offers its own version of culinary discrimination by attempting to exclude supporters of President-elect Donald Trump from its clientele.
The Café 8 ½ does not roll out the welcome mat for Trump voters, specifically warning them to go somewhere else, according to Fox News. A yellow sign, fashioned both by hand and with vitriol states “If you voted for Trump you cannot eat here! No Nazis.” The sign apparently went up Tuesday, when it was first noticed by enraged customers on social media.
Hawaii has been a Democratic stronghold for decades but that doesn’t mean the restaurant’s prejudice and equating of Republican voters to Nazis hasn’t offended a lot of people.
As one patron, who awarded the café one star, remarked on TravelAdvisor: “Why eat at a communistic restaurant when I can go eat at McDonalds for half the price and a quarter of the BS?”
Another one star review came from a disappointed customer who wrote: “Disgusting food and an even more disgusting attitude in this place! I am a resident of Hawaii and would never come back here again, nor would I promote this place with tourists.”
The restaurant’s reviews have taken a nosedive since the proprietors decided to make a political statement. Even the café’s Facebook is now populated with outraged customers: “I just wanted to say that putting that sign on your door was in poor judgment for the success of your business. There are people that visit Hawaii from all over the world, not just California. Living in Hawaii and visiting outer islands, we like to dine out. Because of this we will avoid your establishment. Not because we are trump supporters, but this sign is a display of division, segregation, and ignorance,” one Facebook user remarked.
The café, which up till now was notable only for its Italian cuisine, was created by Robert Warner – once a San Francisco hairdresser and formerly a Seattle restaurateur – and his wife Jali.
Jali spoke to Fox News on Tuesday and suggested the sign was inconsequential because nobody is being asked whether they voted for Trump or not. Even if they are certain that a customer is a Trump supporter, “we don’t put anything different [in] your food. Robert just wants to express how much he doesn’t like Trump,” she said.
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