Ultimate Moonbat Restaurant Goes Under

What would happen if instead of just paying lip service to moonbattery like most major corporations do, a business were actually operated on moonbat principles? In Atlas Shrugged, the answer is the Twentieth Century Motor Company. In Grand Rapids, it is Bartertown Diner (a.k.a. The Garden Diner and Cafe), which recently went kaput:

In its first year, Bartertown landed on VegNews’ list of “10 Hot New Vegan Restaurants,” sharing the spotlight with eateries in London, Toronto, Vancouver and Las Vegas.

Not only was the menu unconventional, so was the business model. Bartertown was a collective, which meant there were no bosses, according to [Ryan] Cappelletti.

Cappelletti is the vegan chef who started the restaurant. He promised “equal pay and equal say across the board.”

Employees would be expected to join the union, Industrial Workers of the World, he said.

In keeping with the worker empowerment theme, he commissioned a mural depicting Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara, Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong and other provocative leaders tackling restaurant duties.

If Guevara and Mao had run a restaurant, there would have been nightly executions out back by the dumpsters.

While the restaurant’s menu garnered a loyal following and hefty praise, there were complaints about 40-minute waits for sandwiches and limited hours of operation.

Loyal customers were angered by a political misstep:

In August, the diner came under fire from customers for sending a free meal to the Grand Rapids Police Department, which then posted a thank-you message on Facebook.

It drew angry comments from some customers, who accused the diner of shifting away from its proletariat roots by supporting a “nearly all-white police force in this era of police violence.”

The downside of capitalism is that the numbers have to add up, and that requires being grounded in reality. Cappelletti should have gone into government instead.

On tips from TCS III, Torcer, and Steve A. Hat tips: Heatstreet, Michelle Malkin, EatingOurWayThroughGrandRapids.