A Missouri restaurant owner came up with a very creative way to fight back against Jackson County, Missouri’s mask mandate after being ordered to shut down after violating the county’s COVID-19 heath related rules.
The owner, Amanda Wohletz reopened her restaurant, Rae’s Cafe, as a “private club” which is not covered by the mask mandate rules.
@jeffreyatucker Here's how one small business (Rae's cafe in Blue Springs, MO) is fighting back. pic.twitter.com/H6TuFwmKU5
— PT (@PKThomahawk) September 4, 2021
Via The Blaze:
Marshanna Smith, a Jackson County spokesperson, told KCTV-TV that the “enforcement of the health order requiring masks is complaint-based, meaning concerned community residents contact us about non-compliance.” Smith said 10 complaints had been filed about Rae’s Cafe.
After investigating the complaints, the county revoked the restaurant’s food establishment permit. Rae’s Cafe was shut down on Friday by the Jackson County Health Department for not abiding by the mask mandate. The county declared the restaurant to be an “imminent health hazard.”
Amanda Wohletz, the owner of Rae’s Cafe, admitted, “I have not honored the mask mandate this round; I did the entire last round.”
On Saturday morning, Rae’s Cafe reportedly reopened as a “private club.”
There was reportedly a sign outside the restaurant that read: “Welcome to Rae’s private club. $1 membership fee collected at the door at each member’s visit. Dress code: No masks allowed. Please sign your name upon entry to verify your club’s membership. As a member, you can suggest items to the menu.”
The sign included “club policies,” which were: “By entering this club you admit that you are not a member of the general public. By signing your name, you record your membership and attendance. You also assume any and all risks of disease transmission.”
This is awesome and shows that being creative and thinking outside the box can really pay off.
Lets hope that the county does not now change their covid related regulations to close the “private club” exemption.
Every restaurant or retailer whose business is being hurt by unreasonable regulations should change their business model and become a private club.
If every small business owner in America decided to try this idea the snowball effect would be huge and the government would be powerless to stop it.
