The owners of the University of Arizona-area restaurant Cup It Up American Grill on Saturday apologized for bringing their personal political beliefs βinto a business forum.β
The statement, sent to the Star and signed by Cup It Up owners Christopher Smith and Jay Warren, came after the pair was criticized for a Facebook post on Friday that laid out their political beliefs. Among them was support for President Trump and opposition to NFL players taking a knee during the national anthem.
βOur decision to bring our personal political beliefs into a business forum is regretful, and for this we apologize to all,β the pairβs statement read.
Earlier Saturday, Smith had toyed with the idea of indefinitely closing the restaurant, located in the bustling Main Gate district near the UA, in light of the widespread condemnation for the politically charged post.
MONDAY UPDATE:Β Tucson's Cup It Up closes after weekend of backlash over Facebook post
βItβs hate feedback and itβs for one reason only and itβs that we showed our support for Donald Trump,β he said Saturday morning. βThere was nothing that we put in the post that was absolutely wrong and terrible in that we supported our president and our troops.β
Cup it Upβs Facebook post was up for three hours Friday before it was removed. On Saturday, the restaurantβs Facebook page was deleted.
In the Smith-Warren statement, the pair admitted they βnever ever fathomed this would create such negative and hateful responses, including threats to burn down our building with us inside.β
βThese types of comments have no place regardless of anyoneβs political beliefs,β the statement read. βWe assumed there would be some discussion and shares, but never this type of animosity and hostility.β
The pair also said Cup It Up operating partner Julian Alarcon was not involved in drafting Fridayβs Facebook post, which listed global warming, fake news and political correctness among issues it opposed.
Alarcon, the architect of the restaurantβs multilayered meals-in-a-cup menu, submitted his resignation to his partners on Saturday and was working with an attorney to legally untangle himself from the restaurant at 760 N. Tyndall Ave.
βThis is just the first step of me removing myself from this company,β he said, noting that he spent hours Friday night reaching out to diners, investors, employees and customers.
βI donβt know the reasoning for this,β he said, adding that business at the restaurant, which opened in early 2016 and moved to the North Tyndall Avenue space in April, had been good.
βWe catered to several teams at the UA, plus the Alumni Association just picked us up as their preferred caterer this year. With all this coming on board with us, we were ecstatic,β Alarcon said.
Alarcon said the Facebook post and backlash cost the restaurant supporters and customers. Its 4.9-star Facebook rating, βwhich we worked really hard to get,β was at two stars by the time the page was deleted, he said.
Meanwhile, the Pima County Republican Party on Saturday morning took to Facebook to encourage people to support Cup It Up. Ana Henderson, the county GOPβs first vice chairman, invited people to the restaurant from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10.
βThose who hate and disparage freedom that was fought for by many in behalf of ALL and represented by our United States Flag must not be heard louder than you,β she wrote. βThose who βtake a kneeβ and lash out in our community at our freedom must witness our strength and our voice in our community. Do not surrender to enslavement. Stand together now β stand with me!β
When reached Saturday afternoon, Pima GOP Chairman David Eppihimer said he was not aware of the issue or the restaurant, but said the party supported the issues outlined in Cup It Upβs Facebook post.
