LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Two restaurant owners in Kentucky who support President-elect Joe Biden are offering free food and drinks to supporters of President Donald Trump, but with a catch: They have to turn in their “useless” Trump merchandise, including flags, shirts and hats.
The idea was hatched by Troy King and his wife Selena Johnson, who own Pollo - A Gourmet Chicken Joint. They told the Courier Journal that their idea was to extend an olive branch to the other side.
“Once I had seen that Biden was the confirmed winner, I thought, all right, we got that part, but we’ve still got to figure out how to come together,” King told the newspaper. “It’s not going to make a difference to have Biden as president if we don’t work together.”
They posted their offer on the Louisville restaurant’s Facebook page Saturday — and then got some heat online.
King said someone called to threaten him, saying “something bad would happen” if they didn’t remove the Facebook post. Instead, they decided to expand the promotion to their other restaurant, Six Forks Burger, and keep it going through November.
“The coward obviously doesn’t know us,” they said on the restaurant’s Facebook page.
So far, no one has taken advantage of the offer. But if a Trump supporter visits, King said he’s told his workers to make them feel welcome.
“I don’t want anything negative to come from what we’re doing,” he said.
Johnson, for her part, would like to have a conversation with anyone who does turn in some Trump merchandise.
“I think the country feels so divided,” Johnson said. “At the end of the day, we all just want the best.”
