Colorado cafe owner says she’s reopening against order because it’s a ‘constitutional right’

A Colorado cafe owner said this week that she’s reopening against the state’s stay-at-home order, arguing that it’s her “constitutional right.”

Karen’s Kafe and Stephanie’s Bar & Grill in Calhan, Colo., announced Tuesday on Facebook that the restaurant would reopen the following day to “respect your Constitutional Rights and Protections.” 

The restaurant said it will operate at 50 percent or less capacity and will “continue to maintain the highest standards of cleanliness.” 

Karen Starr, the owner of the restaurant, told CBS affiliate 11 News that she believes the First Amendment protects people’s right to assemble. She added that her customers are like family to her and should have the right to eat at the restaurant. She said she isn’t reopening for the money.

“It’s not that we’re going against the governor,” Starr told 11 News on Wednesday. “We’re going against our constitutional right to assemble.”

Starr told the news outlet that the restaurant is safe, with food served on paper plates, all refills given in new paper cups and tables at least six feet apart. 

When asked if reopening was worth getting fined, Starr said “Absolutely. If I went to jail, it’d be worth it.”

The El Paso County Public Health has requested Starr to close saying she is in violation of the state’s stay-at-home order, but Starr said she planned to stay open, 11 News reported.