The owner of Langer’s Deli, a popular eatery in Los Angeles, has come under fire after he allegedly demanded a gay couple leave his restaurant last Saturday when he saw them kissing. But he insists he wasn’t being homophobic and that the whole thing has been blown out of proportion.
Earlier this week, Rachel Curry, accused the deli’s owner, Norm Langer, of creating an “unsafe space” for LGBTQ people when he hovered over her table with a walkie-talkie and humiliated her for kissing her girlfriend during Pride weekend.
Her original post was set to friends-only, but others are sharing her statement publicly, and she seems to be okay with it, so: pic.twitter.com/BCUzY7ad46
— April Wolfe (@AWolfeful) June 12, 2019
After the story went viral, Langer issued a statement on Twitter. In it, he insisted that his deli has had a long-standing policy against “making out” that applies to everyone–gay or straight, writing:
Langer’s Deli is open and inclusive to all people. We have a long-standing policy against anyone from ‘making out’ whether straight or same-sex couples, it does not matter. I have stopped heterosexual couples from making out, and I would do the same if Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were making out. We are a family restaurant and I apologize if some people do not like our policy.
— Langer's Deli (@LangersDeli) June 13, 2019
Speaking to L.A. Times, Langer called the whole situation “absurd,” adding, “The two ladies came in around 11:30, they were sitting next to each other, and throughout the meal they started snuggling and making out.”
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“I walked over to the table and said, ‘Hi, I’m Norm Langer. I’m glad you’re here, but it’s not really a place to make out. They said are you against the LGBTQ community, and I said, ‘No, I’m not.’”
In an interview with local news station ABC 7, Langer added, “They shared a lot more than a kiss. They were making out in the booth with arms around each other.”
He continued, “They accused me of asking them to leave, which I did not. I just asked them to refrain from kissing and making out in the booth. It became a spectacle.”
But Langer’s explanations have done little to quell the outcry. Many are calling for a boycott of the popular deli, and the business’ Yelp page has been hit with an onslaught of negative reviews, prompting moderators to flag it with an “Unusual Activity Alert.”
Related: Restaurant owner apologizes for calling gay customers “disgusting,” hopes it doesn’t affect business
Brian
If he is telling the truth, I say good for him. Seeing people making out and/or hanging all over each other in restaurants is one of my pet peeves. A booth in a restaurant is not your living room couch.
Vince
Yep. There’s a big difference between just a kiss and full on making out.
Bryguyf69
Then don’t watch. Is that so hard? I could understand the problem if they were moaning so loud that it disturbs my conversations. But sorry, no one is forcing you to watch. Mind your own business and this world will be a more harmonious place.
Brian
If I see it happening, it’s because it’s happening right in front of my eyeline, not because I’m contorting my body to watch it. So yeah, it is hard not to see it when it’s literally right in front of my face.
James
GOD, YOU HAVE A PICTURE OF DIVINE AND YOU ARE SO FUKING UPTIGHT. GET A REAL LIFE AND STOP TRYING TO PRETEND YOU ARE SOMETHING YOU ARE NOT.
jcoberkrom
sounds like these ladies wanted attention one way or the other
Mack
I love how “so called” members of the LGBTQ are quick to believe the business who is catching a backlash over a couple. I actually believe he did what they said-and was in the business for 35 years and have NEVER had someone go to a table and tell ANYONE to stop making out. His actions showed bigotry.
Brian
I absolutely believe him. You can’t have a restaurant in downtown LA and not have a steady stream of gay customers every single day. He would have driven himself out of business years ago if he behaved like these women are claiming.
Brian
Also, I have seen people making out in restaurants many times. It definitely happens.
Bryguyf69
Brian- the question isn’t whether they’ve had LGBT customers, but whether the owner applies the same standards to straight customers. Do you have any evidence of that? Furthermore, is this supposed policy written anywhere, or does it only come up at the owner’s whim?
Brian
Sigh. Another one who didn’t actually read the article I see.
“Langer’s Deli is open and inclusive to all people. We have a long-standing policy against anyone from ‘making out’ whether straight or same-sex couples, it does not matter. I have stopped heterosexual couples from making out, and I would do the same if Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were making out. We are a family restaurant and I apologize if some people do not like our policy.”
soonersteve88
I don’t know who to believe. Have any witnesses spoken up? The owner’s explanation does seem reasonable-the restaurant was opened in a time where most in society discouraged pda beyond hand holding. It’s reasonable to believe that they’ve maintained that policy. Also I think the policy is completely ok because I have definitely seen couples doing gross things in public that made me lose my appetite and that’s not good for business.
S.anderson
Just because someone is LGBTQ does not mean that, when they are thrown out of the bar or restaurant, it is because of homophobia. The last couple of months have seen numerous drama scenes, with video, which to my satisfaction proves that the “victims” were behaving badly and tried to throw as much gas on the fire for effect.
S.anderson
Anyone capable and willing to write such a police, concise and sincere-sounding explanation as the deli owner did, is very unlikely to be homophobic. He passes the smell-test.
S.anderson
This exact same s**** happened in my town years back, and it turned out that the lesbians who complained were practically f***ing atop the table, on a riser at the window, on a very busy college-town street. The mgr who approached them asked them to tone things down, and they painted him as a homophobic monster. He was openly gay himself! Every time part of their complaint collapsed, they were just “Yeah, BUT!” Rumor was that they did this on purpose to test other rumors of homophobia at that coffee shop, but they seem to be the only people who had heard such rumors. Just another snow job to save face. Courageous lesbians fighting hate, sure sure.
S.anderson
I’m jussie sayin’, we ought to sit tight awhile, and see how this all plays out, instead of lending our ammunition to someone who has ambitions and won’t hesitate to use us to obtain them.
Chipper
Who knows, how far the ladies went. Some can be over exaggerated. If they were making out, it would have had to be more than just kissing. IF they were not. then this jerk is a real jerk. I guess a bunch of people could go in and drink coffee for hours for protest.
Mikey E
The fact that these lesbians said “LGBTQ” in their exchange with the owner, instead of simply saying “gay” or “lesbian,” is a red flag. Normal people don’t rattle off 5-letter initialisms and make completely irrelevant reference to transgenderism in casual conversation.
white-queer-african
wOW wOW wOW. Take my queer money but please behave in my precious establishment,
@Brian, you have a pet peeve with people showing love and affection in restaurants? You sad!
@S.anderstand, typo intended. Another sad!
Brian
I have a problem with people not knowing how to behave appropriately in restaurants. Sorry that your reading comprehension skills didn’t pick that up, as it was quite clear in my comment.
white-queer-african
@Brian, I clearly understood what you were trying to say, your pet peeve. And so you go on the attack. The oldest lame trick in the book! Attack someone’s opinion by questioning their whatever. Very subtle. Doesn’t work for me honey! I just hate it when people say that they were “making out”! WTF does that mean? Only sad, lonely folk hate to see happy couples showing affection in public. Hetro or homo.
Cam
Some of the usual anti-LGBT accounts, combined with a brand new account telling stories of “Evil Lesbian liars” with no proof.
The trolling gets VERY heavy on stories like this. These accounts have a job to pretend that anti-LGBT bigotry doesn’t exist.