Some of the Country's Top Restaurants Are Closing Today to Support #DayWithoutImmigrants

José Andrés is closing most of his restaurants in D.C., and many others have followed his lead.
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Inside Bad Saint in Washington, D.C.

A number of top chefs and restaurateurs in the U.S. capital and other major cities have closed today to support "A Day Without Immigrants," which urges immigrants to strike in protest of the President Trump's anti-immigrant policies and to raise awareness of the vital role that immigrants play in American society. Among them is Bad Saint, #2 on Bon Appétit's 2016 Hot 10 list and cover stars of our March issue, which celebrates the second-generation Americans who are running some of the country's best restaurants.

While the Bad Saint team felt it was important to demonstrate that "immigrants are vital and essential to this country," co-owner Genevieve Villamora points out that the decision "is also very personal. 'Immigrants' are not an abstract category of people. They are our parents, our friends, our neighbors, our teachers, and our chef! Bad Saint wouldn't exist without immigrants."

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Some chefs are joining themselves, while others are closing their restaurants in solidarity with their predominantly immigrant staffs. One of the most outspoken advocates, José Andrés, is himself an immigrant from Spain, but told NPR that it was his employees who got him involved: "When you have employees that have been with you almost 25 years, and they come to you in an organized way and they tell you, 'Don't get upset but Thursday we are not coming to work. ' Next thing you ask is, 'What's going on? What's happening?' So I decided to join them and support them — that's what we're doing."

On the Bon Appétit podcast in October, Andrés spoke about how restaurants can get involved in politics: “This is about over 11 million undocumented people, many of whom have spent many years helping America be prosperous. What we need to be doing as a country because it’s the moral thing to do, because it’s the right thing to do, because it’s the right business decision, is to pass immigration reform. The restaurant industry, with over 10 percent of the population dedicated to feeding America, we have one of the biggest voices.”

Andrés is closing most of his restaurants in D.C., and many others have followed his lead. There are so many, at this point, that we can't even keep up, so here's a list of some of the restaurants that we've heard are striking today. If you want to support these restaurants and their staff, be sure to patronize them this weekend.

Bad Saint, Washington, D.C.
Blue Ribbon Brasserie, New York
Blue Ribbon Sushi, New York, NY
Busboys and Poets, Washington, D.C.
DC Empanadas, Washington, D.C .
Hank’s Cocktail Bar, Washington, D.C.
Hank’s Oyster Bar, Washington, D.C.
Hank’s Pasta Bar, Washington, D.C.
Himitsu, Washington, D.C .
Hola Arepa, Minneapolis/St. Paul
Jaleo, Washington, D.C.
Jetties (all Washington, D.C., locations except 1921 I St. NW)
Kyoten Sushiko, Austin
Le Caprice, Washington, D.C.
Mezcalero, Washington, D.C.
Milkjam, Minneapolis/St. Paul
Oyamel, Washington, D.C.
Pizzeria Paradiso, Washington, D.C.
Rappahannock Oyster Bar, Washington, D.C.
Rasa Contemporary Indian, San Francisco Bay Area
Saffron Indian Bistro, San Francisco Bay Area
sweetgreen (all 18 D.C. locations)
Tacodeli (some locations), Austin
Thip Khao, Washington, D.C. Toli Moli, Washington, D.C.
Torchy's Tacos (some locations), Austin
Veloce, Washington, D.C.
Zaytinya, Washington, D.C.

Related: One of the Country's Best Restaurants Is Run by an Undocumented Chef