"Our restaurant is a safe space — particularly for queer and biopic individuals," announced Rachel Sillcocks, Hilda and Jesse chef and co-owner, in a statement. "Furthermore, the fact that they were in uniform with multiple weapons on them made our staff uncomfortable, and potentially other quests, so they were asked to leave."
"We would happily welcome them off duty, out of uniform and without weapons. We're sorry that the decision upset you. We understand your perspective and we hope you'll consider ours," she went on.
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Sillcocks told ABC 7 that asking the officers had nothing to do with their job and everything to do with the appearance of their weapons.
"It's not about the fact that we are anti-police," she told ABC7. "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. It has everything to do with the fact that they were carrying guns."
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"We understand how much the police support and protect the community," she went on. "We want to again reiterate the fact that this is about guns being in our space, and we don't allow it."
San Francisco Police Chief William Scott reacted to the incident on Twitter, declaring that community engagement is a fundamental principle of the SFPD.
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"Community engagement is a core principle of SFPD's 21st-century police reforms, and we are intentional about asking our officers to support local businesses and get to know those they're sworn to safeguard," wrote Scott.
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"The San Francisco Police Department stands for safety with respect, even when it means respecting wishes that our officers and I find discouraging and personally disappointing," Scott continued. "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."
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After the incident, the restaurant's Yelp page was flooded with one-star reviews from those that disagreed with their choice to ask the officers to go. Their rating on the website was brought down to one star.
"This is one of those times I wish I could post with zero stars. The owners and staff of this place have little regard for their customers and are more than guilty of excluding some customers because of their chosen profession. It will be interesting if this dump experiences a smash and grab and who the owners call for help," announced one Yelp user. "Building a business on principles off disrespect, bias, and prejudice is some kind of model."
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