The owner of a well-known Michigan restaurant is standing up for himself and his free speech rights after internet trolls couldn't handle the thought of them making political donations to President Trump.
“Voted #1 Best Breakfast in Michigan,”Anna’s House has several locations across the state but now people are claiming they won’t eat there after seeing the chain’s Federal Election Commission filing, which details political contributions for the Trump campaign.
As WXMI-TV reports:
According to the FEC, Anna’s House Corporate, LLC has made two $2,800 donations to Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. One contribution is for the primary election, the other is for the general election. Anna’s House is also listed as giving $15,000 to Trump Victory, a joint fundraising committee. All three contributions are dated on April 2, 2019.
The donations were revealed in a screenshot posted to Facebook by Doug Chu, who expressed his disgust with the words, “anna’s house is cancelled.”
“My political beliefs, at their core, come from being a Christian,” Chu said, according to WXMI-TV. “More specifically, from studying the Bible and and paying attention to the kind of society God wants people to live in, as well as from working to apprentice myself to Jesus’ teachings on how to treat other people.”
After Chu and others bashed the restaurant claiming they had “bad food anyways,” some were able to see it from a different light.
In response to the criticism the restaurant received, Anna’s House owner Josh Beckett held his own and released a statement addressing the issue:
“I am proud to live in a country where we are free to have different opinions and to support a candidate of our choice,” he wrote. “At Anna’s House, we employ and serve people of all backgrounds and beliefs, without judgement. Our goal is to treat everyone like family – and in families, there are often differences of opinion. Embracing these differences and respecting each other despite them is what makes our country great. If you are looking for an open, supportive, and accepting place to enjoy a great meal and conversation, Anna’s House is here for you.”
Kent County Republican Party Chair Joel Freeman showed his support for Beckett with a statement of his own, according to WXMI-TV:
“Treating people with different political viewpoints as enemies to be eliminated is toxic and counterproductive. Anna’s House is a popular locally-owned business that has found success serving delicious breakfasts that everyone can enjoy. It’s too bad that some would prefer division and strife over breaking bread, but that just means there’s more waffles for the rest of us.”
Boycotting a restaurant or any business just because someone has a different ideology than you really can't work in the long run. At some point, you’re going to find yourself unable to go anywhere.
H/T: The Washington Times