A San Francisco restaurant that bragged about kicking out three police officers last week is now apologizing for denying the officers service.
Hilda and Jesse co-owner Rachel Sillcoks admitted last week that restaurant staff asked three uniformed police officers to leave the building because they felt “uncomfortable.”
“It’s not about the fact that we are anti-police,” she told ABC7 News. “It is about the fact that we do not allow weapons in our restaurant. We were uncomfortable, and we asked them to leave.
“It has nothing to do that they were officers,” she said. “It has everything to do that they were carrying guns.”
“?? ?? ??? ????? ???? ?? ??? ??????????.”
I just spoke exclusively to one owner of Hilda & Jesse.
Rachel Sillcocks told me “it doesn’t matter what you do, whether you’re a security guard of a policeman”— they don’t want any weapons #SanFrancisco pic.twitter.com/yGog0Dym4M
— Dion Lim (@DionLimTV) December 5, 2021
However, after facing intense backlash, including thousands of negative one-star reviews on Yelp, Sillcock conceded that she may have overreacted.
“We made a mistake and apologize for the unfortunate incident on Friday when we asked members of the San Francisco Police Department to leave our restaurant,” Sillcocks and her co-owner, Kristina Liedags Compton, said. “We are grateful to all members of the force who work hard to keep us safe, especially during these challenging times.”
San Francisco Police Department Chief William Scott said Hilda and Jesse’s treatment of his officers was “discouraging and personally disappointing.”
“I believe the vast majority of San Franciscans welcome their police officers, who deserve to know that they are appreciated for the difficult job we ask them to do – in their uniforms – to keep our neighborhoods and businesses safe,” he said in a statement.
