Chef, cookbook author, blogger and restaurant owner in San MATEO (CA) Kenji Lopez-Alt has apologized for refusing to serve customers wearing caps MAGA.
MAGA or «Make America Great Again» («Make America great again») is the slogan of the presidential campaign of Donald trump. Some opponents of the President are negative for any attributes on which is this inscription. Those who wear them often say they are doing it to show patriotism and support of the President. Others claim that caps promote hatred and racism. Renowned chef Kenji lópez-Alt is one of them.
The owner wrote on Twitter that his restaurant Wursthall will not serve people wearing caps MAGA, because for him it is the same as «if they came in the swastika, a white hood or any other symbol of intolerance and hatred.»
In another tweet lópez-Alt said: «MAGA Caps similar to the white hoods is just stupid because you can clearly see who wears them».
Visitors of the restaurant told the media that they understand the mood of the lópez-Alt, but do not agree with his decision.
«I don’t think you need to keep people just because of the cap, said 42-year-old resident of San MATEO Jamie Hwang. — I understand, perhaps, this cap means that people just provokes a fight, but to interrupt the dialogue, without giving a chance to meet someone — I just don’t know if I can do it».
A few days later, lópez-Alt has deleted the posts and apologized to the clients in the blog Medium.
Here’s my statement about the comment I tweeted the other day. https://t.co/A84kK9Pwex
— J. Kenji “Individual Fun” López-Alt (@kenjilopezalt) February 1, 2019
«I want to start with an apology to my colleagues and partners in Worsthorne — wrote Lopez-Alt. — To make a public statement, not taking into account the thoughts of my team, it was disrespectful and unreasonable.»
The chef said that «will work hard to regain their trust.» He also said that he supports the idea of diversity, saying that he was born in the family of immigrant and American: his mother was from Japan and her father was out of town in Western Pennsylvania.
López-Alt told the San Francisco Chronicle that his restaurant Wursthall received threats via e-mail after his tweet.
