A Mexican restaurant in Texas kept its mask rule. People threatened to call ICE on the staff.

[DonViejo]

March 6, 2021 at 7:04 pm Updated March 6, 2021 at 7:29 pm

By Meryl Kornfield
The Washington Post

When the coronavirus pandemic hit and restaurant owners faced difficult decisions, the Richards family that owns Picos, a Mexican restaurant in Houston, quickly adapted to continue sharing their Latin cuisine – from selling to-go margarita kits to stationing a mariachi band at curbside pickup.

This week, after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, said Tuesday that he would rescind the statewide mask mandate while the vast majority of residents remain unvaccinated, the tough choice to enforce public health guidance fell to business owners, and Picos announced it would continue requiring masks. But, after such a challenging year, the reaction to their decision was disheartening, co-owner Monica Richards said: Several people sent hateful messages through social media and called the restaurant, threatening to report staff to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“It was just horrific,” Richards said. “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.”

Abbott’s decision to lift the mandate will make Texas the largest state to not require masks, which has not come easily for many businesses that are navigating enforcement mask rules to protect employees and customers while facing backlash. Masks, which health experts say are among the most effective ways to curb the spread of the coronavirus, have become a partisan symbol, with one conservative group planning a mask burning party for March 10, the day the order is lifted.

more/NO PAYWALL
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/a-mexican-restaurant-in-texas-kept-its-mask-rule-people-threatened-to-call-ice-on-the-staff/

[House of Roberts]

1. Eat-in service requires not wearing a mask to eat and drink.

If the restaurant doesn't want people to go maskless inside their business, they should stick to carry-out until they feel secure in allowing patrons to not mask.

I'm not going into any restaurants with eat-in service.

[bamagal62]

2. Yep. Allowing people to

Remove their masks and eat in a restaurant is crazy. It will be a long time before I eat inside a restaurant.

[oldsoftie]

15. Depends on the place. If everyone participates it has to help.

When people walk past you they wear a mask. Seated at their own table they dont, but they're not close to you anymore.So no one is breathing on you as they pass going or coming. The places we go have booths with high dividers, seating near open windows, higher pwr ventilation, masked employees, etc. We also dont linger around for long periods. We're trying to be safe, but also help keep our favorite places in business.
I dont understand why people have to be such assholes about wearing a damn mask for a short period.
And they're full of shit when they say "its about control"

[Ms. Toad]

18. It is absolutely not safe

Aside from anything else, when you sit down you are sitting in the aerosolized droplets left by the previous diners. While the dividers **may** help keep the droplets from the next table away, they also make it harder for the droplets in your own table to clear out.

Eating inside (unless it is your home with others you live with) is still a high level risk.

You can help your favorite places in businesses by ordering take-out, and be much safer.

(I have been wearing my mask 24/7 because my spouse adheres to your philosophy. It has now been 10 days since her last restaurant foray - so I am finally free to take my mask off in my own home - and sleep without a mask. I got my first COVID shot yesterday, so I will be much safer by the end of the month from careless behavior).

Please wait until outdoor dining is open to indulge. It's not that much longer!

[we can do it]

3. You can and should keep mask on unless putting something in your mouth.

People should not have face uncovered inside otherwise.

[tanyev]

4. GOPers love to scream that businesses should make their own decisions

without any interference from the government. But when they do that, and the decision is not the one the GOPers want, they go feral on those businesses.

[DavidDvorkin]

5. If I bullied restaurant staff into reluctantly serving me

I'd hesitate to eat the food they did serve me.

[Cozmo]

8. Anything can happen in a restaurant kitchen, ya know?

[DavidDvorkin]

23. So I've heard

I'm always polite and friendly.

[SeattleVet]

21. Somehow I doubt that the whiners are really patrons of this restaurant.

Imagine! Complaining about a business with their own rules for how you must act in their premises. At least they weren't being asked to bake a cake, or anything like that!

[marble falls]

6. Welcome to Texas. Where we blame the undocumented for the disease we don't believe is real.

[Lonestarblue]

10. Excellent point, Marble Falls!

[KentuckyWoman]

12. The best description of Texas

I feel for progressives living in Texas. I come from Kentucky. A little different, but I understand.

[marble falls]

14. My family branch descends from Gov Charles Slaughter Morehead. There are two sides ...

... still there who do not talk about whatever it was that broke ties after the civil war.

Gov Slaughter was anti-secession, pro-slavery and was arrested and imprisoned when Lincoln suspended habeas corpus.

[oldsoftie]

16. One of my friends who constantly says this is a fraud sure rushed to get tested when he got sick!!

I asked him "Why did you bother? You said its no big deal"

[marble falls]

17. And there's no shame about it. Its no secret the town's "Hundred", major Trumpists, got their ...

... vaccine first.

[mountain grammy]

25. Exactly!

[rickyhall]

7. The pandemic with no end.

[OldBaldy1701E]

9. Kind of a shame actually

Once they raided his place, found no undocumented workers, nor any real violations... that owner should have sued the state for slander, false prosecution, and any other thing they can stick on the suit. Also, once the state started to drag things to try and get the owner to stop pursuing it, the guy should claim liens against the state for lost revenue and so on, and shut the entire state government down until they pay up.. A good, tough Texas lawyer should be able to push this thing into reality.

[marble falls]

19. Too bad it's Texas we're talking about where that "good, tough Texas lawyer" is a ...

... major contributor to the GOP and a member of Abbott's 'Governor's Circle'.

[OldBaldy1701E]

27. Delicious irony, thy sting is deep! (n/t)

[greenjar_01]

11. Abolish ICE

Immediately.

[orangecrush]

20. +1

[burrowowl]

24. +2

[AllaN01Bear]

13. dispicable . time for a national mandate ?

[Auggie]

22. No shirt. No shoes. No mask. No service.

This isn’t a new concept.

[ironflange]

26. I'm glad they're getting all this free advertising

I bet the joint is hoppin' now. I know I'd sure go out of my way to patronize Picos.

- this is for the mariachi band