‘Cruz himself very much likes the owner/chef’
irrelevant...a restaurant is in the position of accomodating a paying customer, and if he is being harrassed by non patrons, it is incumbent upon the manager, in his own best interests, to get those interlopers out of his customer’s face...
They did. These people are waiters and waitresses they are not armed police. They immediately called the police. I think they handled the situation the best they could.
Statement from restaurant
Last night protesters entered Fiola with the apparent purpose of confronting one of our guests. Recognizing that there was potential for escalation, our stellar management team immediately diffused the situation. Per our policy for events of this nature, the police were called and the guest escorted to privacy–our highest priority is always the well-being of our customers. When the situation resolved a few minutes later, our guests returned to thank the staff for their support and to finish their exceptional meal.
The FT Group welcomes all patrons and is proud of its reputation not just of culinary excellence but also of creating a welcoming space for all, irrespective of creed, ideology or opinion. Chef Fabio believes politics–like elbows–are best left off the dining table and we welcome everyone.
Statement from eyewitness
UPDATE: Fiola tweet of statement followed by claimed eyewitness corroboration.
pic.twitter.com/mwkTCf6SN2
— Fiola (@fioladc) September 26, 2018
They didn’t let it happen. I was there. There was a bunch of sudden loud commotion and the #fiola people hustled to get @tedcruz and his wife out, and the protestors out, I bet as fast as they could. @SenTedCruz came back, went thanking everyone, and then sat to finish his meal.
— mona hamdy (@monabintaboha) September 26, 2018
Which appears to be what was done, as expeditiously as possible given a lack of armed security.