Government shutdown forces Yorktown restaurant to close
The partial shutdown of Washington has now sparked a new battle of Yorktown.
Carrot Tree Kitchens Restaurant is owned by Glenn Helseth in the historic Yorktown, a building owned by the National Park Service.
Helseth was ordered to move out when the shutdown began and now is defying the orders by reopening his restaurant.
“I was called about 9 o’clock Tuesday morning, Oct. 1,” Helseth told CBN News. “I was told I had three hours to vacate my restaurant. I was shocked and called back to say I can’t quite possibly do that.”
After a week of shutdown shenanigans, Helseth reopened the doors for business.
“I’m willing to go to jail for this,” Helseth said. “If the Parks Service wants to put me in jail because I want to honor the terms of my contract, well, I suppose they have that right.”
“This is October. This is our busiest month of the year. I need October to make my year,” Helseth explained.
He also points out that during the shutdown he was still obligated to pay other expenses for the facility.
“I’m paying for the insurance on this building,” he said. “While it’s closed I’m paying for the utilities on this building. I’m paying for the security system that is protecting this building and I cannot use this building.”
His employees’ welfare is also a big concern.
“My staff is not getting any back pay,” Helseth continued. “My people aren’t getting paid for the days we missed. I need to look out for the welfare of my staff.”
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