BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — A restaurant in Beverly Hills is facing criticism for trying to plan a “discreet” New Year’s Eve dinner violating California’s coronavirus restrictions.
Indoor and outdoor dining have been banned in the Southern California region after the area reached ICU bed capacity earlier this month according to the state’s health department.
A journalist in the Los Angeles area tweeted an image of the invitation, which allegedly were inserted into to-go bags from La Scala. The dinner was supposed to have a 1920s prohibition/speakeasy theme.
Merry Christmas everyone! La Scala’s Beverly Hills location is tucking these invitations to an indoor New Year’s Eve dinner in their takeout bags: “Please keep this discreet, but tell all your friends.” 💀💀💀 pic.twitter.com/hu4cJGYxce
— Alissa Walker (@awalkerinLA) December 25, 2020
“We are considering taking reservations for New Year’s Eve Dinner. Inside,” the invitation reads,asking the recipient to let La Scala know if they are interested in participating. “If enough interest we’ll contact you back to secure a reservation (sic). Please keep this discreet, but tell all your friends.”
The City of Beverly Hills contacted the restaurant and reminded management of the current dining restrictions, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“We understand this is an incredibly difficult time for all of our businesses,” the statement to the LA Times reads, “however the County Order does currently prohibit indoor and outdoor dining, including in the City of Beverly Hills.”
California has recorded more than 2.1 million cases of the coronavirus since the pandemic started, and more than 24,200 deaths.
