Assembly member Chris Constant, who represents downtown Anchorage, took to Facebook today to badmouth Kriner’s Diner, a popular midtown cafe.
In his pointed warning to the cafe, Constant referred to restaurant code violations discovered at the establishment in the past.
They were minor violations, such as inadequate lighting and food not being stored in its original container. They had nothing to do with cleanliness, but Constant told his Facebook followers that (wink wink) the health report would tell them everything they need to know about the restaurant.
Constant, who was recently reelected in April, was jabbing at a family-owned restaurant hit hard by the Mayor Ethan Berkowitz’ previous shutdowns.
Kriner’s Diner owner Andy Kriner is now defying the mayor’s order to shut down for an entire month. He says his business cannot afford to close down.
This week, Kriner had more customers than usual in his establishment on C Street, as the public has flocked in to support the renegade restauranteur. Some people are writing checks to him to help him cover the cost of the $500 per day fine the mayor has promised to levy against him.
The code enforcers arrived at Kriner’s today to attempt to shut it down with a stop work order. They were booed by the diners.
Kriner says he will open up again on Wednesday at 9 am in defiance of the mayor’s orders.
It will be Day 3 of the Kriner Resistance, with fines that could, at $500 per day, total $1,500.
He isn’t the only one.
Little Dipper Diner on West Dimond Blvd. also said it will be open on Wednesday for dine in.
“As most of our guest already know we are Family owned and operated. We are not trying to be unlawful, but we feel EO15 is just so unfair, we just will not survive this month of closure after the last one, we barely survived that.
“The municipality is not helping us or anyone other restaurant or bar in any way.”
“We have put our whole lives into this restaurant and don’t want to lose everything we’ve worked so hard to obtain,” the owners wrote.
Kriner and others who defy the mayor could find their restaurants subject to surprise health inspections, as it’s clear that Assemblyman Constant was already trying to dig up dirt on Kriner. Will he go after the others who defy orders as well?
As much as restaurant health inspections are important, they are also used as political weapons. The mayor’s three restaurants miraculously score 100 on their inspections.
Berkowitz’ restaurants also likely had forewarning that he was going to shut down indoor dining, and they’ve managed to get dining tents up to continue operations, even while Berkowitz whipsaws the local economy with his shut-open-shut policies..
The mayor and his minions are now lashing out, saying that his restaurants did not receive special treatment or have special knowledge.
But even the Cabaret, Hotel, and Restaurant trade group said that its membership was shut out of final discussions just before the latest shutdown, which lasts for the entire month of August. The restaurant group expressed its frustration in a letter to its membership statewide.
Most of these politicians in Anchorage and Alaska for that matter don’t care if your dead broke and can’t pay one bill cause they are getting paid regardless what the outcome might be.
True. Counting per diem, Bryce is making over $100k a year off of us. Add in his wife’s money and they are living like royalty off the backs of needy Alaskan’s. He claims PCE saves us money and it does, but that is from the Governor, not him. He claimed the Governor would cut K-12 spending but that didn’t happen. He is a typical fear mongering mongerl. We can do better. Bristol Bay can do better. My boss told me one time that we needed Bryce because he gets the schools a lot of money at Juno but I don’t see that. He says a lot of things, I think one of those guys that kind of tell you what he thinks you want to hear whether it’s correct or not and sadly many people in the region fall for it. The schools have plenty of money. Some were actually coming out ahead on the school shut down virus thing. I’ve seen a lot of wasteful spending from the school district. I’ve seen School employee selling drugs on school property, and those people are still employed with the school district after being reported. This was back before marijuana became somewhat legal on a state level so by having drugs on school property and using it in a school vehicle they were committing a felony yet they are still there. I’ve seen maintenance workers hop on a charter aircraft for a daily flight up to do some work at a remote location when in fact it was all about moose hunting. I don’t think the taxpayers want School employees hunting moose on their dime but yet nothing is done about it. I could write a tell-all book about the things that I’ve witnessed and been told, white people in the know, some of it dating back over 30 years but it would serve no purpose here.
Correct. Now Add to that bureaucrats and those getting pensions. Doesn’t make any of those groups inherently bad, or even wrong, but it does mean they have no skin in the game of shutting down businesses for whatever reason. None.
They would cease being paid and their “friends” would find the sledding tough if they were recalled. But that takes effort…..
I see no difference in outside vs inside dining other than: wobbly tables, un-level tables on less than desirable surfaces like the parking lot, lack of heat, windy with napkins flying off, and more. Mainly a much harder environment to keep clean.
Mayor Burkowitz and all on the city council who support this nonsense you’re insane, blooming idiots!
We need to get the Feds involved, as much as I personally dislike fence in our business is a state, Berkowitz is acting like a profiteering dictator and though I live in the valley it still affects even me. And knowing the restaurant industry as I do, I would say that what I see Berkowitz doing is not only unethical and unfair to his constituents, it’s a downright overtake of the industry.
This would never work in Palmer as we are such a tight-knit community we would come to the aid of a business, unfortunately it seems Berkowitz decides to utilize the tourist industry to bring in customers that don’t understand who they’re giving money to. With all of the recalls in the valley going on, is a valley resident I am flabbergasted that no Alaska has reached down and grabbed a set to be able to initiate I recall for him as well as a recall are the racist idiot on their assembly. I honestly love the valley and will do my part in everything I can to uncover file and prosecute those small amount of people that are destroying not only our state but have little input or enthusiasm in defending our country and the value she was built on. Rant over..
Maybe instead of buying hotels for homeless people who won’t use them the muni should help support their local businesses with the federal money that was designed for just that purpose.
The Private Citizens should take every opportunity to get in the face of these Assembly members to remind them they work for us not the other way around. They think we are enslaved to them and they rule us sorry you are going to find out differently the sleeping giant has awoken.
How come no one has brought a lawsuit against the city yet?
Berkowitz is getting paid in full. He is trying to put his competitors out of business.
Spot on! Please don’t patronize His four restaurants. Look them up.
Disgusted by the implication you are somehow able to read minds. You regularly attempt to represent authority figures as having ulterior motives that benefit him/her at the willful expense of others. Projecting? In these stressful times, it’s surely an effective marketing tool but it does little to benefit Alaska or Alaskans.
Since their repressive actions benefit no one, absolutely no one, based on the actual health data the only explanations are corruption, incompetence, or both.
To show that the restrictions are a reasonable response to the predictable and predicted increase in case counts, it is necessary to show the actual _statistical_ correlation between a given increase in the number of known “cases” and a corresponding consistently proportional increase in the actual number of “hospitalizations” and “deaths” resulting therefrom.
That an increase in “cases” may correspond to an increase in “hospitalizations” is merely a tautology, not any kind of statistically useful ratio. Basing economically, psychologically, and socially harmful restrictions on it is the same kind of asinine and puerile thinking as the “if it saves just one life” nonsense justification.
It’s not about “benefit”. It’s about “who benefits” from unconstitutional, destructive, corrupt public policy.
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The Founding Documents don’t mention marketing.
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The Founding Documents do protect Americans from out-of-control “authority figures”, clear examples of which are right in front of us.
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Call it projecting, maybe it’s the ultimate do-it-ourselves project, rebuilding our government, economy, lives without “authority figures” who burden us now.
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Americans did it before, looks like we have to do it again ’cause somebody got confused about the difference between rulers and representatives.
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Imagine what’ll happen when folks who fearfully submit to “authority figures” realize they don’t have to live like that
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and join neighbors happy to welcome them into a life where people don’t live like that and don’t tolerate wanna-be rulers who wanna make ’em live like that.
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Now that’s a benefit, yes?
Headed to Kriner for breakfast.
It actually is not possible to score 100 on a restaurant inspection if it is done professionally. Certainly a high score is possible, but not a perfect score.
Perhaps the inspectors only went into little Ethan’s restaurants for a cocktail.
I hope Kriner is able to sue the diminutive dictator and Mr. Constant.
I am thinking that an ethics complaint against Assemblymember Constant might have significant traction.
Constant, quit using your position to attack a business who is trying to survive. Why don’t you take the mayor’s $22 million and give it to the businesses that need it. You are need to be fair and not tweet about city matters in a predetermined way to ruin businesses.
Solution! # 1 File a FBI complaint alleging violation of civil liberties under 18 USC 241, 242, & 245 !
Read this for what it is…eliminating small business owners and eliminating the middle class. They use COVID as a cloaking device for their evil schemes. Terrible, how do these people sleep at night, no conscience whatsoever. I feel like flying up to Anchorage and going to this restaurant, I just might.
Constant is a piece of work for sure. I like JMark’s idea.
As for Kriners, maybe they should consider a move to Palmer where they likely would do just as well as Anchorage and would be able to continue business. Lastly, code enforcers are only employees, they do not make the stupid rules. Give them a break.
Why do we turn good citizens into criminals? Why are freedom-loving Americans being fined for being freedom-loving Americans?
Do what the Left would do. Go to Berkowitz restaurants, order food, when food comes leave.
Constant is an — with an agenda and a superiority complex, unfounded though it may be. As for the suggestion that the Kriner’s leave their city because their constitutional rights to compensation for the taking of their property are being violated, I think their exists plenty of opportunity for remedy for the illegal actions of the mayor. This is an attempt to suspend the constitution for no provable reason, and Chris Constant has a propensity for running off at the mouth, and then, issuing a half-assed apology later.
Constant is a real piece of work. Not only is he an anti-religious bigot, but he is a bully. Downtown done good electing its representation (/sarc). Cheers –
It’s unethical for an assemblyman making comments about a business in their community in public.
Judging favoritism over the others like mayor playing favors of his partners restaurants over others
It’s very bad politics.
Berkowitz is threatening Kriner’s by saying if they stay open, they won’t be eligible for any aid funneled through the Muni. That’s the fundamental problem: Kriner’s doesn’t want any aid, they just want the Muni to get out of their way so they can operate their business. Berkowitz is a typical liberal: Any problem can be solved with govt money. Problem getting bigger? No sweat, just throw more money at it. More of your money.
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