Dallas restaurant donating profits during NRA convention to gun control groups
A West End restaurant is raising the ire of NRA conventioneers by donating a portion of its profits to gun control groups.
Ellen’s, a southern-style diner that features all day breakfast, is printing on its receipts, “A portion of this week’s proceeds will be donated to organizations dedicated to implementing reasonable and effective gun regulations. Welcome to Dallas!”
Ellen’s is located less than a mile from the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, where the National Rifle Association’s annual convention is taking place through Sunday.
Some people in town attending the convention took to social media voicing their displeasure with the restaurant’s decision.
“If I had known we wouldn’t have eaten there,” tweeted Rusty Shackleford along with a photo of the receipt from her meal on Friday morning. It was retweeted more than 1,000 times.
One review left on Yelp for the restaurant on Friday was just one star. The comment: "Warning: This establishment is for gun control. They even print it at the bottom of your receipt. If you are a pro 2nd Amendment person you should steer away from Ellen's!"
Ellen’s owner Joe Groves said on Facebook he had overheard “vile, racist, moronic conversations” from NRA conventioneers while they dined at the restaurant. When he was criticized by some commenters, he tried to strike a more diplomatic tone.
“We believe in the 2nd Amendment. We also believe that patriotic people can come together to find solutions to end needless gun violence. That's all we are proposing.”