A Tale Of Two Restaurants

Last week, out actor Drew Droege and his date were dining at El Compadre in Los Angeles before heading out to a show and felt the sting of homophobia with their meal:

“I went on a really nice date. With a really sad, disgusting, hateful moment in the middle. We had our arms around each other and kissed a few times. A manager approached our table and said something to the [effect] of, ‘You guys can’t do that here. This is a family restaurant.’”

Droege asked if anyone in the restaurant had complained, but the manager snapped back:

“I don’t care if you’re the president of the United States, we don’t allow your behavior here.”

Droege was stunned by those words, and took it to social media:

“The chilling and pointed tone of ‘we’re a family restaurant.’ ‘We don’t allow your behavior here.’ Ever wonder why gay people often seem nervous? Why do we walk faster? Why do we work so hard to please others and be good little citizens in this world?”

After Droege’s post, which tagged El Compadre, the restaurant posted a statement on Instagram, which they later deleted:

“We have read all of your comments and concerns, and we are looking into what happened Monday night at our Echo Park location. While we work to learn more, we want to make it clear we stand with the LGBTQ community and hold no space for intolerance, hate, or unjust treatment of our beloved guests regardless of race, ethnicity, age, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, or status. We were built off of the core value to do everything with love, and we will do what it takes to continue to warmly welcome any and every guest into a safe community. Please give us time to seek out what happened, gather more information, and take appropriate action. We will update you soon.”

But by Wednesday night, I guess the restaurant had investigated and posted this message:

Droege says he has never been “asked not to show love in public”  though, like all of us, he’s dealt with homophobia all his life; still, he thought that a display of affection in Los Angeles was “a safe thing to do.” And he received all kinds of support since coming forward with the story from actors Matt Bomer, Tuc Watkins, and Leslie Grossman, writer Michael Ausiello, and others who posted messages of support which makes Droege feel a little better:

“Given all this support, I do feel safer and supported. This was one a**hole. This was not the entire restaurant. This is not our city.”

On the other hand … in the middle of America …

In September, award-winning restauranteur Chef Dave Heide closed Liliana’s Restaurant, his popular New Orleans-style restaurant in Madison, Wisconsin. But fear not, the restaurant opened back up this month, after Heidi rebranded the establishment in honor of his recently transitioned son.

Ollie’s Madison is now open for business. In addition to the newly renamed Ollie’s Madison, Heide also owns Saint Charles Station and the non-profit caterer Little John’s, all which are named for his children. Heide says that although COVID changed the restaurant business and inspired the reboot, the primary reason to rebuild was his son Ollie:

“My kiddo doesn’t go by the name that’s on the restaurant anymore. They don’t use that name. They go by a different name. As a dad who loves their kid, to have their deadname on my shirt every day when I come home and their deadname on their restaurant … that’s part of it.”

Heide reopened the restaurant on Ollie’s first birthday, after announcing his son’s transition on social media in December 2020:

“I wanted everyone to meet someone you already know. I introduce you to Ollie Joy Heide. You may have known them as Liliana in the past, but now you may call them Ollie. I am so proud of this human. I have known them as Lily for their whole life, and I look forward to many adventures with this amazing human and having a million new memories with them. I love you Ollie, no matter your name, your gender, or your pronouns. You will always be my kiddo that I am proud of and love.”

And that’s how restaurants are done, and that’s especially how parenting is done.

Welcome out, Ollie.

El Compadre  Ollie's Madison