A restaurant in Castle Rock, Colorado, reopened on Sunday, serving hundreds of customers Mother's Day meals with no social-distancing measures despite the state's "safer-at-home" coronavirus-linked executive order, Colorado Community Media first reported.
The big picture: It's the latest example of small businesses shirking their states' coronavirus restrictions — and going viral in the process. April Arellano, the owner of C & C Coffee & Kitchen, told the outlet that the restaurant opened to "support the Constitution and stand up for what is right."
- A video from inside the restaurant by Colorado Community Media reporter Nick Puckett had more than 5,000 retweets and almost 18,000 likes on Monday morning.
- Puckett only saw one patron wearing a face mask inside the establishment — and a bouncer with a visible sidearm stood by the door.
- Colorado's order does not allow dine-in service.
Happy Mother’s Day from C& C in Castle Rock, where the owner said this is almost double a normal Mother’s Day. pic.twitter.com/cPSzjmAfAg
— Nick Puckett (@nick__puckett) May 10, 2020
What they're saying: "We are standing for America, small businesses, the Constitution and against the overreach of our governor in Colorado!!" the restaurant posted on Twitter, tagging President Trump.
- Arellano told Colorado Community Media: "We did our time. We did our two weeks. We did more than two weeks ... and we were failing. We had to do something."
- She said that she wasn't concerned about the virus spreading via her restaurant, telling the outlet that "we wash and sanitize everything anyway."
A spokesperson for Gov. Jared Polis told the Denver Post that the restaurant is "endangering the lives of their staff, customers and community."
- The Tri-County Health Department told CBS Denver it would follow up with the restaurant to ensure it complies with the governor's executive order.
