Rep. Lauren Boebert
Rep. Lauren Boebert (Photo: Facebook)

The beloved restaurant owned by Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert and her husband Jayson has closed. Shooters Grill, a gun-themed, MAGA-friendly, Hooters parody, was located in Rifle, Colorado.

The closure comes about after a new landlord took over the building which houses the establishment.

Boebert has made much of the fact she is an entrepreneur and business owner during her past campaigning. Shooters Grill, which the couple found eight years ago, also promoted Boebert’s fervent defense of the Second Amendment. Its serving staff proudly carry firearms on their hips and menu items include such dishes as a “Swiss and Wesson” sandwich.

Last month, the Daily Beast reported that the restaurant faced an uncertain future after a marijuana retailer took over the freehold of the building. The new landlord served Boebert with a notice of termination, saying the restaurant needed to find a new location.

At the time, Boebert told the Daily Beast she was weighing up whether to allow the shutdown to happen, or to consider buying the building herself.

Related: Lauren Boebert explains why her husband exposed himself in bowling alley

It now seems she’s gone ahead with the closure. The Colorado Sun says the restaurant shuttered on Sunday, with Boebert lamenting its demise.

“We were like a family,” it quoted her saying. “I would say Shooters, for any employee, was their life. We lived and breathed it every single day. They were a part of this culture and brand that we created in Rifle, and there was a lot of pride with that.”

Some employees might disagree with that description. In May, Mother Jones ran a lengthy piece interviewing former staff from Shooters, many of whom were critical of how the Boeberts ran the establishment.

“The second the restaurant blew up, her head blew up, and it became something entirely different,” one former waitress said. “And I got to meet a new version of [Boebert] that is a monster.”

Some of those who enjoyed the restaurant’s hospitality may not miss it, either. In 2019, it was reported Shooters had supplied pork sliders to a local rodeo event in 2017. Several of those who consumed them subsequently suffered diarrhea, leading to an investigation by the local health authority.

Boebert told the Colorado Sun she might look for a new building in Rifle for the restaurant but was making no promises. Fans should probably not hold their breath. According to last month’s report in the Daily Beast, “The restaurant turned in a streak of six-figure annual losses leading up to Boebert’s 2020 election, and struggled to stay above water even after she shot to fame as a MAGA darling.”

Online, some expressed sorrow for the restaurant’s employees who were now out of a job. But besides that, most were not shedding tears.

Help make sure LGBTQ+ stories are being told...

We can't rely on mainstream media to tell our stories. That's why we don't lock Queerty articles behind a paywall. Will you support our mission with a contribution today?

Once Monthly Annually

Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated