The owner of the Tinhorn Flats Saloon & Grill, Baret Lepejian, on choosing to remain open, defying coronavirus closure orders and how Burbank, California, responded.
A Los Angeles County restaurant stepped up with city officials who on Tuesday received court authorization to lock the doors with a padlock due to the establishment’s refusal to comply with COVID’s closing orders.
On Wednesday, Tinhorn Flats Saloon & Grill, located in Burbank, cut the padlocked doors and said it would continue to operate.
Tinhorn Flats Saloon & Grill (Google Maps)
The move marked the last escalation in an ongoing saga between the restaurant and the city, which cut off its electricity on Saturday.
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The restaurant’s CEO, Baret Lepejian, told Fox Business that he and the restaurant’s co-owners have decided to transform the establishment into an “autonomous zone” and will hire guards to monitor the place 24 hours a day, amid constant threats.
“I am not going to close. I just am not. Its entire base is in illegal and unconstitutional mandates and rules, ”Lepejian told Fox Business in an interview. “I really feel a sense of responsibility now, not just for my business, not just for my children, but for the people who are supporting me. This really became an incredible cause at this point and it is no longer a joke. ”
Lepejian, who became owner of Tinhorn in 2004, grew up in the neighborhood. His family operated a famous photo lab there for decades.
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Lepejian said Tinhorn complied with COVID’s restrictions at the start of the pandemic, but was outraged when the county banned outdoor dining. He believes he was targeted for not following orders, rather than a genuine concern for public health.
Customers sit in a restaurant on Tuesday, March 16, 2021, in Santa Monica, California. (AP)
“This has nothing to do with public security,” said Lepejian. “My son and daughter – the two things I most value in the world – work there. The last thing I would do would be to put my children’s health at risk or, really, my client’s health.
He added: “They are really furious that I keep saying, I will not obey fear and control.”
On its Instagram page, the restaurant posted a video of the padlocked doors, writing: “WE WILL BE OPEN IN spite of the HICKUP.”
In a later post, Tinhorn shared a photo of a sawn lock and the door ajar.
“The lock is off … we open at noon,” wrote the restaurant. “We will NOT comply with illegal and unconstitutional rules and mandates.”
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Fox Business contacted Burbank employees to comment on the restaurant’s challenge. A city spokesman said: “We will continue to evaluate and enforce the judge’s order on a day-to-day basis.”
The Los Angeles Superior Court issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) against Tinhorn Flats on Monday, March 8, requiring the restaurant to close and not open without a county health permit and a conditional use permit from the county. city, the city of Burbank said in a statement.
In late February, the city adopted a resolution to repeal the “Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for Tin Horn Flats for allegedly violating Los Angeles County Health Officer Orders” in a way that endangers public health. , security and well-being, and creates a disturbance of public order. “
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The preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 26. At the hearing, the judge may proceed with the closing order and other orders during the period in which the dispute is pending.