Fresno Waffle Shop closed — after Mother’s Day confrontation between diners and police
The Waffle Shop in northwest Fresno was closed Monday, a day after it became a flash point in the conflict between business owners and code enforcement over the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
But the Waffle Shop did not close quietly. Joined by a throng of supporters, Ammar Ibrahim stood outside his restaurant Monday, saying he’s struggling to stay afloat and worries for his employees at the eatery on Figarden Drive near Brawley Avenue.
Restaurants and stores deemed nonessential have been closed in Fresno for almost two months, the result of an order from Mayor Lee Brand meant to slow the spread of coronavirus infections.
The order has been backed by most of the City Council — although some restaurant owners like Ibrahim said it’s killing their business.
Ibrahim said he was closed Monday because he would not be able to absorb a $10,000 fine. He was fined $1,000 on Friday, which was paid by patrons. He was fined $5,000 on Sunday.
The shop was not taking to-go orders on Monday.
He would not say if he planned to re-open Tuesday, saying he’ll make the announcement on Facebook.
Ibrahim was joined Monday by Councilman Garry Bredefeld, who called a 10 a.m. news conference at the restaurant to stir support for Ibrahim’s business and other owners.
“I’m just trying to survive. People say we’re putting profit over people. We’re not,” Ibrahim said. “We were only operating at 30% yesterday for Mother’s Day, the busiest day of the year for any restaurant.”
Bredefeld, standing at a podium set up outside the Waffle Shop, spoke while was surrounded by a supportive crowd. Several wore motorcycle club vests and held signs, one of which read “Mayor Brand is a scam.”
“We officially, yesterday, entered ‘The Twilight Zone,’ ” Bredefeld said. “Yesterday’s events at The Waffle Shop were tragic, dangerous and completely unnecessary. They were the direct result of the tyrannical policies by Brand the Fresno City Council.”
Ibrahim maintains his employees have been wearing gloves and masks as they serve food to socially distanced eaters. He said Monday that he believed city workers shut off his water over the weekend, but a “Good Samaritan” since restored it.
Fresno city spokesperson Mark Standriff said the city has not turned off the shop’s water, noting the City Council placed a moratorium on shutting off any utilities during the pandemic.
Bredefeld press conference
Monday’s conference at the Waffle Shop was the latest development following the restaurant owner’s decision to reopen his dining room Thursday — in defiance of city and state rules that allow only for takeout orders during the pandemic.
Ibrahim said he was inspired to reopen after last Wednesday’s Fresno Freedom Rally outside City Hall.
On Sunday, a tense conflict erupted at the Waffle Shop. The restaurant was open on Mother’s Day despite being fined multiple times by city code enforcement. Patrons attempted to block code enforcement officers who tried to enter before police arrived, officers said.
Then, police said, one man was detained after he grabbed and pushed an officer outside the shop.
But many Waffle Shop patrons dispute the police department’s account of Sunday’s events.
Thomas Miller Jr. said his father was the man detained. The elder Miller, a 73-year-old veteran of the Vietnam War, was trying to support small business, according to the younger Miller, who owns PressBox Sports Grill in north Fresno.
The elder Miller and his wife went to eat at the shop as protest to the city’s orders to close, but never planned to be caught up in a physical confrontation, the younger Miller said. “They wanted to go say to the owner, ‘Keep up the good fight,’ “ he said. “That was their protest.”
Miller said his father never pushed or grabbed the officer, saying his hands were at his sides during the confrontation. “It was all the officer’s movements that made everything happen,” he said.
Even Police Chief Andy Hall issued of statement Sunday, saying he was “concerned” over the way officers handled the situation.
The father-in-law of California Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula was also involved in the incident, according to Felicia Matlosz, spokeswoman for the 31st District Democrat. But Matlosz did not specify his role.
During Monday’s press conference, most of the crowd was not wearing masks, including Bredefeld. The cramped quarters left little room for social distancing.
Bredefeld has been vocal about reopening shops in Fresno, often while calling the orders to shutter “authoritarian.” He repeated the same thoughts about the order to close businesses on Monday.
“It’s arbitrary, it’s capricious and it’s unconstitutional,” Bredefeld said. “The Constitution protects the people from this kind of tyrannical, authoritarian government.”
Bredefeld on Monday also announced a six-point plan he’ll be pushing, which includes the end of the shelter-in-place order, the mandatory mask orders for shoppers and to restrictions that require a 500-square-foot buffer between customers at restaurants and some stores.
The plan would also not allow code enforcement officers or police officers to enforce fines but rather have those fines mailed to the business.
Mayor responds
Responding to Bredefeld’s statements, Brand on Monday said the quickest way to get local businesses running again will come from the teamwork of city and county leaders.
“Calling each other names isn’t going to solve anything. I spend every waking moment of every day working on plans to safely get the people of Fresno back to work,” Brand said.
“To reach that goal, I am collaborating with every council member except for one, as well as the county, my fellow big city mayors, my staff and a large and diverse group of community leaders.”
Eight new categories of retailers were allowed to open their doors Monday as part of the mayor’s plan that involves the Fresno Recovery Advisory Committee, Brand said.
“I am confident we can accelerate our economic recovery as long as we work together,” he said.
What’s happening with other restaurants?
But don’t expect to see many other restaurants opening in defiance of city or state orders.
Plenty of Fresno restaurants are “chomping at the bit” to open, but probably won’t until they get the green light from the state, said Chuck Van Fleet, president of the Fresno chapter of the California Restaurant Association and owner of Vino Grill & Spirits.
“Even if the mayor says we can open, anybody with a liquor license can’t because we’re going to jeopardize our liquor license,” he said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control have threatened to suspend or revoke the liquor licenses of any restaurants that open in defiance of the state’s emergency order.
The Waffle Shop does not serve alcohol.
The restaurant industry has been thrust into the spotlight in recent days, with dining out for waffles becoming a political act in Fresno.
“It’s a tense time. I think by a restaurant opening like this, it’s making things even more tense,” Van Fleet said. “There’s no reason to have the situation that happened yesterday at The Waffle Shop. … It’s not that I’m telling people to be silent. There’s better ways to do it than possibly going national news with one instance that happened at a Waffle Shop.”
Newsom is expected to release guidelines on Tuesday for how restaurants should open for sit-down dining. When they can open is still up in the air.
“If I had to guess, I don’t think we’re going to be opening until after Memorial Day,” Van Fleet said.
