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San Francisco area restaurant bans 'Make America Great' hats

MAGA hat
Posted at 9:44 AM, Jan 31, 2019
and last updated 2019-01-31 11:45:45-05

SAN MATEO, Calif. (AP) -- An award-winning cookbook author and California restaurant owner says anyone wearing a red "Make America Great Again" baseball cap will be refused service at his restaurant.

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt is a chef-partner of the Wursthall restaurant in San Mateo and says in a tweet Sunday that he views the hats as symbols of intolerance and hate.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported Thursday that Lopez-Alt's decision was met with mixed reaction by restaurant clients.

Diners interviewed by the newspapers said they understood Lopez-Alt's stance but questioned the hat ban and said he could have found a way to start a dialogue on the issue.

Lopez-Alt wrote the 2015 book "The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science."

He says his restaurant received threatening emails following the tweet and declined further comment.