Fresno restaurant fined for opening a second day during pandemic. Supporters pay it
The Waffle Shop restaurant in Fresno – after defying state and city COVID-19 orders by opening for dine-in service – was open again Friday morning, attracting a line of customers and a fine from the city.
The fine was immediately paid by supporters.
The restaurant on Figarden Drive at Brawley Avenue had a line of about 15 customers outside the restaurant at around 11 a.m., many not wearing masks or standing six feet apart.
Eighteen people were dining inside the restaurant. The restaurant was seating customers at every other booth and table, with eight out of 18 tables occupied.
Workers were wearing masks and gloves. The restaurant bought extra silverware so it could be sanitized overnight and not reused during the day.
$1,000 fine
City of Fresno code enforcement officers visited the restaurant Friday morning, handing over a notice of a $1,000 fine. It was their second visit, with Thursday’s visit putting the restaurant on notice that it is supposed to be open for takeout and delivery only.
On Friday, restaurant owner Ammar Ibrahim said that when code enforcement officers showed up, customers in line immediately started donating money to pay the fine. One woman donated $1,000 and others handed over handfuls of $20 bills for a total of $1,200.
“It was paid for faster than I could get a citation from the city. The cash was in hand,” he said.
More fines will pile up if Ibrahim chooses to stay open in the days ahead, city spokesman Mark Standriff said.
“If they’re in violation tomorrow, it’s $5,000,” he said, “and if they’re open and operating on Sunday that goes up to $10,000, and $10,000 for every day of violation – up to the point where we would physically close them down.”
Staying open
Ibrahim said the plan is to stay open.
“We’ll see,” he added.
Saturday brought a hiccup: a plumbing emergency forced the closure of the dining room, a worker said. But the plan was to be open Mother’s Day 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Ibraham said he’s taking a stand by staying open. People aren’t looking for handouts, but want to get back to work, he said.
Six or seven employees were working Friday, compared to the normal two working when the restaurant was doing takeout only.
“It’s not about profit, it’s not about money,” Ibrahim said. “It’s about my rights to run and operate my business.”
Fresno Councilmember Garry Bredefeld had lunch at the restaurant to show his support, ordering the chicken and waffles.
In an emailed statement, his office said he is “supporting businesses and our neighbors’ rights to make a living, live in freedom and not be oppressed by tyrannical and authoritarian government. Mayor (Lee) Brand and Governor (Gavin) Newsom are drunk with power and issuing edicts that are destroying people’s lives, livelihoods and businesses.”
Many of the customers who waited in line weren’t regulars and came from outside the neighborhood to show their support.
Hour’s wait in line
Rick Payton, 68, drove from the foothills of Clovis and waited over an hour in line to order ham and eggs.
“I like my breakfast and I like my freedom,” he said.
He said he followed the shelter-in-place order by not leaving his house for two months, but he’s had enough.
“The government is out of control,” he said. “I understand there’s a virus and it’s serious. You either get it or you don’t. When the Lord tells you it’s your time, it’s your time.”
The Waffle Shop’s reopening is happening amid growing calls to reopen the economy, countered by people who say reopening too soon could cause the number of coronavirus cases to explode.
As of Thursday evening, there were 2,260 reported cases of COVID-19 in the six-county central San Joaquin Valley region, following three days of triple-digit daily increases.
From those counties, 58 people have died. At least 570 have recovered.
Fresno County reported 36 new cases Thursday afternoon, bringing the county’s total to 813. Nine have died.
Earlier this week, about 27 confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients were sick enough to be hospitalized in intensive-care beds in Fresno County, said Dr. Rais Vohra, the county’s interim health officer.
That’s just under 20% of the county’s total ICU bed capacity.
But a growing number of people getting ill and potentially needing ventilators or other advanced life support measures is a concern, he said Wednesday.
“We really need to proceed with caution” in lifting restrictions on businesses and restoration of life as it was before social distancing guidelines were imposed, Vohra said. “If we go too quickly, we’re really going to screw up the good numbers that we do have right now. We’re going to experience what we call a second wave and that may actually overwhelm our medical systems.”
This story was originally published May 8, 2020 at 10:53 AM.
