A restaurant in New Zealand canât turn over tables fast enough after the owner of a neighboring business told a woman not to eat there because it was run by a same-sex couple.
Ken Miller and Jason Brumbaugh are the proud owners of SalutĂŠ, a Mediterranean tapas restaurant located in Greytown, Wairarapa on New Zealandâs North Island. The restaurant first opened in 2001.
When Alexia Black asked a neighboring shopkeeper for a restaurant recommendation, she says the woman encouraged her to go anywhere but SalutĂŠ.
âWe were told that it was owned by two gay men from America and that âlocals donât eat there,'â Black wrote in an online review that has since gone viral.
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âWhen we asked what was wrong with the food we were told they couldnât comment as they hadnât eaten there in over a year, but that we should drive to the next town, Carteton, for lunch.â
According to Black, who identifies as queer, the woman said it was a âreal shameâ about the restaurant, then added she âhoped something nice could be done with the place in future.â
âSo of course these queers walked straight into SalutĂŠ,â Black wrote.
After the meal, Black asked to speak to the manager and explained to him what the woman had told her.
âHe wasnât surprised at all,â wrote Black, âand the quiet emotion in his eyes showed us they had been battling for a while and it hurt deeply. ⌠We told him weâd loved our meal and would be back, and apologized to him for the way they have been treated in NZ.â
âIf you love great food and hate bigotry and small mindedness, book a table at SalutĂŠ,â she concluded, âand show these lovely men that Aotearoa is no place for hate.â
Since Black posted her review, business at SalutĂŠ has been booming. Not only has the restaurant had a major uptick in reservations, but itâs had to extend its hours and was recently named âBest Restaurantâ on Restaurant Guru.
âItâs been extraordinary to see the response of people,â Miller tells the New Zealand Herald, adding that he and his husband have been completely overwhelmed by the response.
âWeâve had such an outpouring of support, with people telling us that this is not New Zealand,â he adds. âWe agree with it. When we left the US, we chose New Zealand because we love it so much. This is the NZ we fell in love with. Itâs overwhelming in a beautiful way.â
Bon appĂŠtit.
Josh447
Awesome!
GetMeets.com
I absolutely agree with you!
But I’m not sure if gays really exist!
How can you not like a beautiful female body?
If you think you are gay, just go to the page that appears in my nickname! This is a world famous social network, I am sure that there will be free girls from your area! Just copy my nickname đ
Waiting for you there.
lioness65
To Getmeets .com beautiful women? No No No Beautiful men… nothing more amazing than a muscular male body….that’s the ticket… good story too.
Donald Dork
GetMeets.com How can you not like a beautiful male body?
jimmypalmieri
HOW ABOUT REMOVING THE ABOVE COMMENT?
Larry
It’s a bot but would be nice if Queerty cared about things like that. Another data point for them however.
maxdadmark
PLEASE REMOVE THIS CRAP BY THE HATEFUL HUCKSTER GetMeets.
David Myers
Bot or not. I agree that this is annoying spam and doesn’t deserve to be here. Please remove!
GayEGO
This is not about physical bodies, this is about deeply felt, love and relationships. I, as a gay man, see women as a flower, I do not have a physical attraction to a flower or women, my willy goes to sleep.
Curtispsf
QUEERTY. IF YOU DO NOT REMOVE THIS CRAP, I WILL STOP VISITING YOUR SITE. AND, YES, I KNOW I AM SHOUTING BUT THIS IS CLEARLY HOMOPHOBIC DRIVEL. REMOVE IT. NOW !!!!!
Calabashe
Feel free to leave and fornicate yourself!
Creamsicle
@Calabashe, Who hurt you so badly that you need to be like this? There’s an entire world of things to do, and you choose to anonymously harass people using vaguely fire and brimstone language?
You’re better than this. Your time is more valuable than this. Go out into the world and see how good things can be. Use your life to build something meaningful and that you can be proud of.
Gigi Gee
Love won out!!!
dinard38
Awesome story. Take that, haters!!!! đ
trojanboy
I am still constantly amazed by the numbers of self righteous wankers still drawing breath. They are usually extremely ugly too, but I imagine that’s because what’s on the inside has to come out somewhere.
Somehow, wankers in a relatively quiet place like this, seem even sadder.
Heywood Jablowme
As a Tolkien nerd I’ve long fantasized about a trip to Middle Earth a.k.a. New Zealand. This is another great reason to go! (Damn that 18 hour flight, though.)
j41005
As a gay man, I can agree with âGetmeets.comâ that the female body can be beautiful. However, I donât get sexually aroused seeing naked women, but I do when I see a naked man. To me, the male body is an awesome beautiful sight.
Cam
Too bad the person didn’t post the name of the shop whose owner was the bigot.