A restaurant in Washington, D.C., that has resisted the city’s mask and COVID-19 vaccine mandates was closed “until further notice” by the city’s Division of Food on Tuesday.
The Big Board, a burger joint and bar located about a mile from the Capitol on H Street, has openly defied Mayor Muriel Bowser’s COVID-19 mandates that she announced in December. The closure notice seen by the Washington Examiner cited food code violations.
DC RESTAURANT’S LIQUOR LICENSE SUSPENDED AFTER VIOLATING VACCINE MANDATE
“The establishment is ordered closed until further notice for a violation(s) of the District of Columbia food code regulations (Title 25 of the DCMR), which presents an imminent health hazard(s) to the public,” the notice said.
Last week, the restaurant had its liquor license suspended following multiple warnings about its violation of the mayor’s mandates. Between Jan. 14 and Jan. 18, the restaurant received a verbal warning, a written warning, and a $1,000 fine for failing to enforce the mandates, according to data from the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration.
A D.C. Health Department inspection report from Jan. 19 noted multiple code violations not related to COVID-19 mandates.
Big Board co-owner Eric Flannery said he hopes to appeal the decision.
“When people asked me, ‘What are you going to get on the other side of this?’ I don’t know. I just know that I’m doing the right thing,” Flannery said, tears in his eyes, to a crowd who showed up to support the restaurant Tuesday night.
Several Republican lawmakers in Congress, including Sen. Rand Paul and Reps. Thomas Massie, Tim Burchett, and Victoria Spartz, showed up to the restaurant following the closure notice Tuesday night. Paul had preplanned going to the restaurant Tuesday evening without any idea that the health department would post a notice closing the establishment just an hour before he arrived.
At one point during his remarks, Paul called for Bowser’s impeachment. He also expressed frustration with the closure of the restaurant.
“I came here, and I’m going to spend some money to support him, but it’s his livelihood. So he has to make a decision. It’s a big decision — civil resistance, civil disobedience — when you lose your livelihood. So I’m incredibly proud of him. I’m very supportive of what he’s doing,” he told the Washington Examiner.
.@RandPaul enjoying a burger at The Big Board and chatting w/ staffers also there to show support for the DC restaurant, which the DC health dept just just shut down about an hour ago after it openly refused to enforce vax/mask mandates pic.twitter.com/DXAHXcRMmF
— Emily Brooks (@emilybrooksnews) February 2, 2022
In addition to showing support for a business defying vaccine requirements, Paul has protested a key establishment that has chosen to enforce it. In January, Paul said that he would “quit” the Capitol Hill Club, the premier Republican membership club located next door to the Republican National Committee, over its enforcement of the vaccine requirement.
“I will not be a member of any club that acquiesces to a requirement to reveal your medical records,” the Kentucky Republican tweeted at the time.
The mandates, which were issued in December amid the onset of the omicron variant of COVID-19, required certain establishments to verify that patrons 12 and older had at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine effective Jan. 15. The mayor included restaurants, bars, and other indoor entertainment facilities in her order. By Feb. 15, the proof of vaccination mandate would require patrons 12 and older to be fully vaccinated. Bowser also implemented an indoor mask mandate in December, which was extended through Feb. 28.
Two days before the proof-of-vaccination mandate went into effect, The Big Board tweeted that everyone was welcome into the restaurant — implying that it would not enforce the mandate.
As has always been the case for us, everyone is welcome. This rule applies yesterday, today and tomorrow. Hopefully we’ll see you January 16th.
— The Big Board (@thebigboarddc) January 13, 2022
Flannery noted that the health officials who visited his establishment before putting up the notice on Tuesday were “very nice.” The Washington Examiner reached out to officials at the Division of Food but did not receive a response.
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The city currently estimates that 92.1% of its residents are vaccinated against COVID-19 with at least one dose, according to data from the city — significantly higher than the national average of 75.4%, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
