Cullman restaurant owner faced licence revocation for opening

CULLMAN, Ala. (WAFF) - A Cullman restaurant owner decided to go against the state’s safer at home order.

Many local restaurants continue to offer curbside and delivery services, but restrictions on table service mean less income for many owners.

Alabama’s safer at home order does not allow for restaurants to offer dine-in service. One restaurant owner in Cullman decided to open anyway.

“I quietly opened and I had about 30 customers yesterday and they were very happy to come in and eat. We’ve followed all the rules the state has planned out for reopening,” said Annette Harris, owner of Rumors Deli

Harris opened her restaurant up Wednesday.

She planned to do the same Thursday until she got a call from the health department saying her license would be revoked.

“It’d be like three months or more I would be shut down. It would be hard for me to open back up at all. They can also, I don’t know who would come but someone could chain my doors," she said.

Instead of opening the inside of her restaurant Thursday, Harris decided to just continue drive-thru and curbside service.

“We understand the implications, economic implications of it, but our job is to protect the public’s health," said James Congleton with the Alabama Department of Public Health.

Congleton says there will be an investigation into Rumors Deli for opening Wednesday.

Harris says her employees are protected, the inside is clean and tables are 6 feet apart, maintaining the health department’s rules.

She says she will continue to stand up for what she believes in.

“If anybody is afraid to eat here, if they’re afraid to get out in public at all then they shouldn’t. Stay at home,” she said.

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