Christian group whose reservation was cancelled by TV chef Brittanny ... trends now
The head of a conservative Christian group whose reservation was cancelled at the last minute by a Virginia restaurant, citing their views on abortion and LGBTQ issues, has accused the owners of 'religious discrimination'.
Virginia Cobb's group, Family Foundation of Virginia, intended to dine on November 30 at Metzger Bar and Butchery in Richmond, Virginia - a German-themed restaurant co-owned by TV chef Brittanny Anderson of Top Chef and Chopped.
Yet 90 minutes before their reservation, a staff member called someone on Cobb's team to say they were no longer welcome - forcing them to scramble to find an alternative venue for the 15-20 people to gather.
The restaurant said it was due to the group's anti-abortion stance, and their rejection of gay marriage.
'We were certainly shocked that this happened,' said Cobb, speaking to Fox News on Wednesday.
Virginia Cobb, the head of the Family Foundation of Virginia, on Wednesday appeared on Fox News to discuss her organization being turned away from a restaurant in Richmond due to their faith-based policies
Brittanny Anderson co-owns the Virginia restaurant. Her establishment canceled the Christian organization's booking because staff would be made 'uncomfortable' and 'unsafe' by their presence in the establishment
Metzger Bar and Butchery (pictured) in Richmond, Virginia canceled the Christian organization's November 30 booking only 90 minutes before they were due to arrive
'I think most people assume that food service is something that we can all agree on.
'It's stunning, and it does feel a bit like 'no Christians can eat here.' Because if you go to our website, you'll find that we are a faith-based organization.
'So it absolutely does feel that there is religious discrimination going on here.'
The restaurant said in an Instagram post that the staff objected to serving them, and the management did not want to put their employees in an environment where they felt 'unsafe'.
Cobb said it was ultimately the managers who should be held accountable for discrimination.
'The owner made the phone call; they put out an official statement; the bottom line is, the buck stop's with the owners,' she said.
'Restaurants are not permitted to discriminate, even if the staff are discriminatory.
'That's not the right of a restaurant to simply say hey, we're not going to let you eat here.'
In a blog post, Cobb likened her group's experience of being refused service to eateries that refused to serve black customers before the 1964 Civil
