Donald Trump can forget about a trendy meal during the GOP convention next month: The Republican Presidential nominee is persona non grata at some of Cleveland’s most popular restaurants.
“There’s not a chance I’d let him into one of my restaurants,” Michael Symon, a respected Cleveland chef, restaurateur and television personality, said during a radio interview earlier this week.
“I come from a mixed political family, which is always fun around this time of the world. I’ve been fortunate or unfortunate enough to meet him through the years. I’m not going to lie, he creeps me out a little bit.”
According to Cleveland.com, two of Chef Symon’s restaurants are located “on East Fourth Street, the city’s premier dining district and a stone’s throw from Quicken Loans Arena, where Trump is expected to accept the GOP presidential nomination next month.”
Chef Symon said he’s not concerned about any backlash he might get from Trump’s aggressive supporters. “Anybody that knows me knows I’m not afraid to speak my mind, so there’s that,” he said. “But this isn’t a Democratic/Republican thing, trust me. It’s just that he creeps me out.”
Symon isn’t the only chef to slap down Trump for his extremism. Last July, “DC super-chef” José Andrés announced he would be “backing out of a deal to open the flagship restaurant in Donald Trump’s forthcoming Washington hotel” following his racist accusation that immigrants from Mexico are criminals and “rapists.”
“Donald Trump’s recent statements disparaging immigrants make it impossible for my company and I to move forward with opening a successful Spanish restaurant in Trump International’s upcoming hotel in Washington, D.C.,” said Andrés, himself an immigrant and US citizen, about the planned multi-million dollar restaurant.
“More than half of my team is Hispanic, as are many of our guests. And, as a proud Spanish immigrant and recently naturalized American citizen myself, I believe that every human being deserves respect, regardless of immigration status.”
As he is wont to do, Trump filed a $10 million breach of contract suit against the chef. Andrés responded with a $8 million lawsuit of his own.
As for Chef Symon, he says it’s otherwise business as usual and his restaurants will host private parties during the convention week. As for Trump, he may want to call ahead before he decides to eat out.
