Christian pro-family group denied access to Virginia restaurant because of values

Boston, Mass., Dec 7, 2022 / 14:30 pm

A Christian pro-family organization in Virginia was told by a local restaurant that the organization would not be allowed to host a gathering there because of its values.

The Family Foundation — which has a mission of promoting biblical, family values in the state of Virginia — had a Nov. 30 reservation at the Metzger Bar and Butchery in Richmond in order to update some of their supporters on their work.

An owner of the restaurant contacted the organization an hour and a half before the event was to take place to inform them that their reservation was cancelled.

The owners of the restaurant put out a statement on social media Dec. 1 explaining their reasoning.

“Metzger Bar and Butchery has always prided itself on being an inclusive environment for people to dine in,” the statement says.

“In eight years of service we have very rarely refused service to anyone who wished to dine with us. Recently we refused service to a group that had booked an event with us after the owners of Metzger found out it was a group of donors to a political organization that seeks to deprive women and LGBTQ+ persons of their basic human rights in Virginia,” it says.

Victoria Cobb, vice president of The Family Foundation, condemned the restaurant’s actions, saying that discrimination toward someone because of their faith is against the law.

“There are those that do believe they violated the law, and certainly we think discriminating against people because of their faith is unlawful,” Cobb told CNA in an interview Wednesday.

“I don’t think anyone wants to think that we live in a country where there’s going to be restaurants that have a political litmus test or a religious litmus test at their door before somebody can walk in and have dinner,” she added.