Most people and businesses are taking precautions to keep themselves and others safe during these unprecedented times. But not everyone wants to play by the rules. This past weekend, a Colorado restaurant decided to completely disregard the regulations the state and the health department had set. Now its owner is paying an even bigger price. She’s had her license revoked indefinitely.
C&C Coffee and Kitchen is the name of the Castle Rock breakfast and Korean restaurant. On May 10, it reopened for full dine-in service despite public health orders put in place in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic. After opening on Mother’s Day, the restaurant was absolutely packed, with few people adhering to social distancing guidelines or even wearing masks. There was a line out the door about 10 a.m. Every seat was reportedly taken. The restaurant was also doing carry-out orders, as well.
It was clearly a violation of the state’s orders that prohibited restaurants to open until May 31. The owner said it was her constitutional right to open anyway.
While the restaurant business has been incredibly hard hit by the pandemic, it’s no excuse to put people’s lives in danger. But the owner seemed to be laughing in the face of the stay-at-home orders. In a post on Facebook, urging people to come eat at the restaurant and enjoy themselves, April Arellano wrote, “no mask, no problem.”
Obviously, people were listening to that message. There was only one mask that could be seen from outside of the restaurant over the weekend. People were definitely happy to get out of their homes, too, because the crowd was huge.
“I expected it to be busy. I never expected this,” owner April Arellano said. “I’m so happy so many people came out to support the Constitution and stand up for what is right. We did our time. We did our two weeks. We did more than two weeks … and we were failing. We had to do something.”
Despite the public health crisis, April said she was not concerned that customers were largely not wearing masks and didn’t seem to be trying to practice social distancing, though that would’ve been a feat given the size of the crowd. April said she did not believe the crowd of people in her business was a public health hazard. Her reason? Because the restaurant has experience with keeping things sanitized.
“We in the service industry have been taking precautions for years. … We wash and sanitize everything anyway,” she said. “People are piling into (retailers). So right now, I don’t really see the difference. And we’re human. … I know a lot of things are ran by fear. I don’t have that fear.”
After local news outlets reported on the restaurant's opening, people were understandably upset by the decision. The health department ordered April to close. In yet another bold move, the restaurant opened its doors again just yesterday. Now C&C Coffee and Kitchen has had its business license suspended indefinitely until it no longer creates a threat to public health.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis spoke out on the issue, saying that the decision was a clear public health threat. “I hope, I pray that nobody falls sick from businesses that chose to violate the law,” he said when announcing the suspension during a press conference. “But if the state didn’t act and more businesses followed suit, it’s a near guarantee that people would lose their lives and it would further delay the opening of legitimate businesses.”
It's unfortunate for the owner of the restaurant, who chose to act so callously. Now the doors will remain closed even longer as a result of those careless actions. Worse, by putting themselves in that situation, the restaurant's customers might have participated in spreading the virus to others, and some could even become ill. Businesses definitely have a responsibility to help keep people safe, but if they don't abide by the rules, it's up to citizens to make good decisions on their own. This weekend, there were a lot of people who didn't do that.
Despite the clear and present dangers, some people still say they think the regulations are too strict. One patron, Linda Schattilly, said she visited C&C on May 10 because she felt she needed to support the business. “I'm not afraid to be out. I'm not going to wear a mask. I'm healthy. I'm in good shape, and I don't think it's as serious as they say,” she said.
She continued, “The communities are being devastated. People are losing everything. … They should have never shut anybody down. They should've told all the old ones (people) and all the ones that don't have the right immune systems to stay home and let people do their jobs. People are being devastated.”
