- A small business owner near Minneapolis said both staff and customers fear ICE activity in the area.
- He's concerned about the safety of his employees, who sometimes miss shifts to avoid immigration officers.
- National activists are encouraging another economic blackout to protest ICE activity.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Michael Knox, co-owner of Toma Mojo Grill near Minneapolis. This story has been edited for length and clarity.
I run a fast casual chicken restaurant in Richfield, Minnesota, a suburb just south of Minneapolis.
With ICE agents in the area, I don't know when — or if — staff will be able to come to work. We all have pretty set schedules, and we're tight-knit. There are only six of us operating this place, seven days a week. And I have concerns: Are my employees going to get stopped on their way to work? Are they going to be hassled or detained? Are they going to come back?
It's a day-by-day thing. Over the past couple of weeks, we've adjusted our hours, opening later and closing earlier. I've been picking up everyone's shifts, but I can't physically work 16 hours a day, seven days a week. We had to close last week so that I could have a day off. I had a doctor's appointment that I couldn't miss.
Some of my employees don't feel comfortable leaving their houses. If they tell me they can't come to the restaurant, my policy, of course, is "no questions asked." I get it. But I'm not a wealthy businessman. If we're not serving guests our food, there's no money coming in, and we can't pay people. I wish that we were at a place where we could offer better PTO benefits, but we're not. That's been hard.
We're just trying to keep our people safe and our employees comfortable. We have a big bay window at the front of the restaurant where the full kitchen is visible. I'm going to make some modifications to the space that will make it harder to see inside. We don't know who's looking in now, or what their purpose is. We put up cameras that we didn't have before — we need to have a record of whatever happens here.
ICE agents are bad for business, no matter why they come to the restaurant
I worry that ICE agents will come to my business to abduct my staff. I also worry that they're going to come enjoy hospitality, and that's going to get out to the public. I can only do what I think is good for me, my staff, and the restaurant. ICE agents are bad for business, no matter which way they come.
Last week, my sales were down about 40% year over year. There are fewer delivery drivers and gig workers, so our takeout food is sitting longer before pickup. Our walk-in business is suffering too: After the sun goes down, we're seeing almost a noticeable drop in sales. That didn't previously happen. Now I have regulars who I haven't seen in weeks.
I went to the strike with my friends and family last week to voice our dissatisfaction with the situation. My employees and I thought it was important to close that day too. Shutting down a restaurant on a Friday in January is devastating. It's the busy day, the day that pays for the rest of the week. That's a big sacrifice — but I know it's important.
What's happening in Minneapolis should horrify every American. There's a very real, pervasive fear about what's going to happen next. That's bad for business. That's bad for life. And I'm worried that there's going to be more loss of life.
Small business owners are brave people. It takes a lot of guts to put everything on the line do something you really want to do, to present a product or service that you think is good enough to charge money for. They don't tend to be the quiet type. I'm not surprised they're speaking up.
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