A popular Mexican restaurant in Houston is receiving threats after asking its customers to wear masks.
The owners of Picos say that they've received several nasty phone calls and messages on social media threatening to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement on the restaurant's staff.
“It was just horrific. People don’t understand unless you’re in our business what it felt like, how hard it was to go through everything we went through during covid. For people to be negative toward us for trying to remain safe, so that this doesn’t continue to happen, just makes zero sense to us," co-owner Monica Richards told the Washington Post.
The owner of a second Mexican restaurant also said his staff is receiving threats, and that it's nothing new.
“This has been ongoing through covid. We’ve had threats of calling ICE. I had one guy just stand there and berate one of my bartenders and tell her ‘you’re an absolute idiot, you don’t know what you’re doing. If you think these masks are going to save your life, you’re stupid’ blah, blah, blah. Nobody wants to deal with that stuff," said Steven O’Sullivan, co-owner of Catina Barbara.
Texas businesses can fully reopen, but owners also have the right to limit indoor capacity, require masks, and enforce other COVID-19 restrictions. Local law enforcement has been reminding people to respect businesses' property rights or face criminal charges.
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