Couple kicked out of Texas restaurant for wearing masks

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A Texas couple who landed themselves a rare night out with friends says it was cut short when the restaurant kicked them out for wearing face masks, which they say they wore to protect their immunocompromised 4-month-old son.
Natalie Wester and her husband, Jose Lopez-Guerrero, joined a group of friends at a restaurant and bar in Rowlett, about 20 miles northeast of Dallas, on September 10.

"We are new parents and in the middle of a pandemic, we don't really get out a whole lot," Wester told CNN. "But that Friday night, my mom happened to be available to watch our son. ... Living in a pandemic, being isolated and away from others is a big deal for our mental and social health."

Their infant has cystic fibrosis, they said, so they have taken precautions to stay safe and do what's best for their family, and that includes wearing a face mask in public except when drinking or eating.

But the restaurant they visited, Hang Time Sports Grill & Bar, has a no-mask wearing policy, according to its owner, whom CNN affiliate KTVT identified only as Tom. Wester said she was not aware of the policy.

About 30 minutes in, our waitress comes over and she sits down next to me and she's like, 'Hey, so our manager is over there in the kitchen, and he is not as nice as I am so I came over here to talk to you and unfortunately, this is a political thing, but our manager does not believe in the mask. He's tired of being told what to do by, you know, politics in the country, and so you're going to need to take the mask off," Wester said.

The US Department of Justice outlines federal protections for Americans based on race, color, sex, disability, religion, familial status, national origin and citizenship, but it doesn't outline any protections specifically regarding face coverings.
For the most part, as far as federal law is concerned, private businesses can impose whatever rules on their customers that they want to, as long as they don't discriminate on those outlined protections, University of Houston Law Center associate professor Emily Berman told CNN. Generally, businesses may be able to ban the use of masks, with two important caveats.

"First, if someone has a certain physical condition that makes them particularly vulnerable to Covid-19 (or lives with someone particularly vulnerable to Covid-19), that condition might be considered a disability," she said. "If so, there is an argument that forcing that person to take off a mask or leave the premises might constitute discrimination on the basis of disability."

"Second, state and local governments often expand the list of categories against which discrimination is prohibited," she said. "So things like pregnancy, transgender status, marital status, etc. get protection in certain jurisdictions, which means different rules might apply in different places."

POST THE POLICY so potential patrons can plan accordingly. The owner selfishly denied the couple a chance to have a relaxing night out. If they had known, they would have chosen differently.

It just doesn’t make sense for someone to be thrown out of a restaurant merely for wearing a mask.

It just doesn’t make sense for someone to be thrown out of a restaurant merely for wearing a mask.

that place needs to be sued.

I get a feeling the owner only did this as a reverse to fight against mandatory masks so he is deciding to do the opposite by kicking out anyone who wears masks to make a point. "Oh so you want to discriminate against those who don't wish to wear masks, we'll let's see them being discriminate against for wanting to wear masks."

the man is an ignorant jackass who is actively aiding/abetting the virus.