Silicon Valley Restaurant Chef Says Patrons Wearing MAGA Hats Won't Get Served

A chef at a Silicon Valley restaurant has put out the word that patrons wearing “Make America Great Again” baseball cap are not welcome in his establishment and will not be served.

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, who describes himself in his Twitter profile as a full-time dad, feminist, and atheist, is a chef-partner of the Wursthall restaurant in San Mateo, California. He called the red MAGA hats “symbols of intolerance and hate” comparable to a swastika or white hood.

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, a chef-partner of the Wursthall restaurant in San Mateo, California, said in a tweet last weekend that he views the hats as symbols of intolerance and hate.https://t.co/MTcOy6kVJ6

— ABC 7 Amarillo (@ABC7Amarillo) February 1, 2019

In a now-deleted tweet last weekend, Lopez-Alt said that he wouldn’t serve anyone wearing the Trump-supporting cap, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

“It hasn’t happened yet, but if you come to my restaurant wearing a MAGA cap, you aren’t getting served, same as if you come in wearing a swastika, white hood, or any other symbol of intolerance and hate,” the chef tweeted.

In a separate tweet, Lopez-Alt wrote: “MAGA hats are like white hoods except stupider because you can see exactly who is wearing them.”

Ironically, a pinned tweet on Lopez-Alt’s Twitter profile features a restaurant tee-shirt, which he’s hawking for $30 each with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the American Civil Liberties Union — which, of course, is famous for protecting the First Amendment rights of American citizens.

According to the Chronicle, Lopez-Alt’s tweet had more than 2,100 likes and more than 200 retweets before it was taken down.

Patrons at the restaurant seemed to have mixed views about the ban.

San Mateo resident Jamie Hwang, 42, told the newspaper, “I see where he’s coming from, but I don’t think you should just keep people out because of a hat.”

A diner who was visiting from the Philippines said the rule banning the hats wouldn’t keep him from eating at the restaurant, but expressed disagreement with the rule.

“You’re discriminating against those with different political views,” he said. “That’s just not OK.”

Trump supporters weighed in on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/HavaBatia/status/1091094031113830407

https://twitter.com/HavaBatia/status/1091067594101178368

https://twitter.com/rob35200/status/1091103022351110145

https://twitter.com/daleinyyc/status/1091126001730375680

¡Yo soy Latino y apoyo al Presidente Trump!
¡VIVA EL PRESIDENTE TRUMP!
¡Trump es lo mejor del mundo! pic.twitter.com/MoNZylFdO1

— Cacho Perez (@CachoPerez45) January 31, 2019