Good afternoon everyone,
Grotto Pizza took its lumps last week in the fringe media when it said no thanks to a campaign meet and greet at its Wilmington location by Republican U.S. candidate Lauren Witzke.
A few sites portrayed Grotto as a corner pizza shop that was bullied by Black Lives Matter and Antifa protesters.
For its part, Grotto stated that it does not hold political events at its restaurants and noted that it serves a diverse community with varying viewpoints.
First off, Grotto is not a corner pizza joint. An American success story worth celebrating, Grotto has grown from one location in Rehoboth to a group of a dozen and a half restaurants that serve Delaware, a portion of Maryland, as well as a couple of outposts in the Scranton, PA area.
Witzke critics, who are not bomb-throwing anarchists, went too far in hinting at a boycott. Now we have the Witzkeites saying the same thing. A few misguided souls will see Grotto as an anti-American operation. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Secondly, Witzke campaign events are boisterous maskless affairs designed to provoke confrontations.
Critics stay away but sometimes take the bait – thanks to statements that have included support for white nationalists and hailing the death of Supreme Court Justice Ginsberg.
So far, parking lot rallies up north have led to an egg-throwing incident and a Witzke supporter arrested on charges of pointing a gun at a counter-protester.
Had Witzke simply sent out invites to a couple of dozen supporters, the Grotto event probably would have gone off without a hitch. Instead, the invite was prominently displayed on social media and led to the outrage she relishes.
It was a lose-lose for Grotto. Witzke critics, who are not bomb-throwing anarchists, went too far in hinting at a boycott. Now we have the Whitzkeites saying the same thing.
A few misguided souls will see Grotto as an anti-American operation. Nothing could be further from the truth.
2020 has been tough on business. Grotto did not deserve to get sucked into this vortex. – Doug Rainey, chief content officer.
