California Chevy’s Restaurants Reportedly Refuse to Follow State-Mandated Dining Ban

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• While other restaurants struggle to make ends meet with takeout service, the Chevy’s Fresh Mex restaurants in California — even those in the Bay Area, where sit-down dining is shuttered by state health order — are openly defying the law, the Bay Area News Group reports. A look at the chain’s website shows food and drink specials advertised for indoor service at California locations’ bars and dining rooms, a decision a worker reportedly said came from the restaurants’ district manager. When contacted, the company issued an odd response that said, in part, that “we are aware of the current order issued by the state” but that (sic throughout) “there is some conflicting direction between the state, county and city levels as far as what restrictions to follow. Along with some restrictions being lifted in several California counties by overseeing judges.” Local officials now say they’re contacting the restaurants in an effort to get them to comply with the law.
• Postmates’ plan to deliver via robot won’t move forward as planned. Instead, Uber will spin the food delivery company’s robot division off into a new business called “Serve.” [TechCrunch]
• Two Bay Area chefs invested their COVID-19 stimulus checks into Tesla stock, and made enough money to open a Petaluma restaurant. [ABC 7]
• San Jose bar Goosetown Lounge is “overwhelmed” after their GoFundMe to pay the bills was flooded with donations. [Bay Area News Group]
• A so-called “Proud Boy” who once mounted a campaign to bring controversial chicken chain Chick-fil-A to San Francisco was arrested for allegedly storming the U.S. Capitol. [SFist]
• Vice President-elect Kamala Harris has invited Derreck Johnson, the founder of Oakland’s Home of Chicken & Waffles, to attend the presidential inauguration Wednesday. [KPIX]
• A mural inside Parkside restaurant El Cafe is apparently worth well over a thousand words. [Sunset Beacon]