The owner of a Huntington Beach, California restaurant does not seem to like government intrusion in his business, unless there’s a bailout.
Tony Roman, the owner of Basilico’s Pasta E Vino made headlines recently after he put up a sign on his door saying the restaurant will only serve unvaccinated customers.
“Proof of being unvaccinated required” the sign said. “We have zero tolerance for treasonous, anti-American stupidity. Thank you for pondering.”
He has other signs: Declaring “wanted for treason,” featuring the Orange County Board of Supervisors; Dr. Anthony Fauci, and Gov. Gavin Newsom.
While he was happy to ignore safety guidelines from the government and accuse officials of treason, Roman’s restaurant reportedly took more than $50K in Paycheck Protection Program Loan meant to help small business struggling due to the pandemic.
According to Cerritos Community News, the restaurant received a PPP loan of $57,738 in May last year.
“Roman reported that his payroll was $277,000 and that he had sixteen employees, equating to $17,000 per employee, or a whopping $320 gross pay per week per employee living in So. Cal,” according to the outlet.
After the news broke, Roman defended taking the money on social media, writing: “It’s our money, not theirs!. Because it’s our money, we took it back and put it where it belongs, in our bank account.”
But, not everyone feels the same. “Why should this guy get a PPP loan if that is the way he feels about COVID,” one individual told the outlet. “I hope the SBA does not forgive his loan.”
