Andrew Gruel criticises strict stay-at-home order.
Chef Andrew Gruel, who owns the franchise Slapfish and has seafood restaurants at 27 locations across the States, had strong words for Gavin Newsom. Most parts of the US state of California are under a strict new lockdown, as Covid-19 cases surge across the state and the country.
Indoor restaurants are closed and the lockdown will be in place for at least three weeks and cover the Christmas holiday.
Gruel, who uses AquaChile’s ultra-premium Verlasso Salmon in its menus, blasted the politician on social media, adding that he was defying the lockdown order.
‘I’m not an a**hole, the governor is,” the chef said. “So, here’s the situation… Do we take the pandemic seriously? Of course we do. Am I saying that we shouldn’t close outdoor dining? Yes, I am,” added Gruel, who is also a TV presenter on Food Network.
“We shut down indoor dining. No problem. I got a warehouse full of plexiglass right now. Okay? We went outdoors. All right? Now that’s getting shut down. I just put thousands of dollars into outdoor heaters,” he said.
He said that big businesses like Amazon and Walmart, which are open, were making huge gains, while smaller restaurants are taking the brunt of lockdowns. “We’re staying open outdoors. It’s that simple. I’m not an a**hole, the governor is”.
Another update from the mind of a business owner being shutdown. pic.twitter.com/z7AHWoQuxD
— Chef Andrew Gruel (@ChefGruel) December 4, 2020
In November, FOX 11 obtained photos on Tuesday night of Governor Gavin Newsom eating at the French Laundry restaurant in Yountville, California at a dinner party with two top California medical officials.
On the news show the Issue Is, Gruel added that “If @GavinNewsom can dine indoors w/ 22 of his closest friends, I can have my guests dine outdoors in the beautiful air, absorbing vitamin D, & enjoying a meal”.
Between last Tuesday and Saturday, the US reported 1,000,882 new COVID-19 cases, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
