Thousands of dollars raised for Lynden restaurant that defied state COVID-19 rules
An online fundraiser gathered nearly $25,000 in less than 24 hours for a Lynden restaurant whose owner was ordered to stop serving meals inside, which was a violation of new state rules aimed at curbing a recent spike in the new coronavirus pandemic.
“Fairway Cafe has been a meeting place for Lynden families for many generations,” TDan Thompson said on the GoFundMe page he created Thursday, Dec. 3.
“We want to show our support for (owner) Rose DeGroot and the employees for the fines and legalities incurred while staying open during COVID mandates,” he wrote.
DeGroot’s daughter Kris Keene told The Bellingham Herald via Facebook Messenger that she learned of the fund-raising effort Friday, Dec. 4.
Keene said she was delivering take-out meals Friday and unable to comment immediately.
Fairway Cafe, which has operated in Lynden since the early 1960s, stopped serving meals in its dining room after a Whatcom County Superior Court judge issued a temporary restraining order against DeGroot and the restaurant on Wednesday, Dec. 2.
It had been serving meals indoors in defiance of a Nov. 24 state Department of Labor & Industries order to stop, said L&I spokesman Tim Church.
Health Department officials reported Thursday, Dec. 3, that areas around Lynden had the highest rate of COVID-19 case spread in Whatcom County, up 25% from the previous week.
Church told The Herald that 135 complaints were filed through November with the state Emergency Operations Center in charge of pandemic response.
“This business is putting the health of their employees and the health of their customers at risk. There are some serious ramifications that this location could face,” Church said.
Keene told The Herald that restaurant workers voted to keep serving meals indoors because their unemployment and other benefits weren’t enough to pay their bills.
Fairway Cafe received $75,385 loan from the Paycheck Protection Program on April 27, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.
