The Fear of Pearls
A California restaurant blogger recently found herself in a bit of a pickle over a well-known oyster bar’s display of a Trump hat, leading to an unexpected backlash.
Cat Ensign’s trip to Swan Oyster Depot in San Francisco took a surprising turn when she spotted the hat prominently displayed behind the counter, with references to “45” and “47”. It was a bit startling, to say the least, and one could imagine her surprise as she realized the political leanings represented there.
Some food influencers seemed to express discontent over this political display but waited for several months to share their thoughts, possibly hoping for maximum fallout against the restaurant, which has been around for 113 years.
“Swan Oyster Depot->It’s definitely not,” Ensign expressed on social media on July 8.
Shosign chimed in with confusion, asking if anyone else had been unaware of the restaurateurs’ supposed political bias.
“Am I late to the game, or is this news to everyone else?” she pondered on TikTok.
Ensign, who has a following of about 36,600 on Instagram and another 16,000 on TikTok, rapidly incited a wave of negative reviews aimed at the restaurant. This resulted in thousands of one-star ratings across various platforms.
The eatery, established in 1912 in San Francisco’s Pork Gulch, has maintained a solid reputation, holding ratings of 4.6 on Google and 4.2 on Yelp.
According to the co-owner, customers often give items to display, and the Trump hat was simply part of that tradition. “It was a gift from our customers, like many things we showcase—from rubber duckies to dollar bills from around the world,” Kevin Sansimino explained.
Additionally, the restaurant has displayed other memorabilia, including a photo of Ronald Reagan and a letter from former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. They even have a book featuring insights from Hillary Rodham Clinton to reflect the diverse views of their patrons.
Swan Oyster management noted that the fluctuation in social media activity might stem from the restaurant being closed for cleaning and a family holiday since July 3, during which time the hat display was taken down.
Ensign mentioned that she took the photo a few months prior but had hesitated to post it, possibly due to complaints about a local chef’s performance.
Sansimino stood by the choice to display the hat. “I don’t think it is aggressive, and it doesn’t represent the personal beliefs of our family or our employees. People hold various political views, and that should be okay,” he asserted. “It’s unfortunate someone would want to vilify a business or its owners over differing opinions. It feels shortsighted.”
In the wake of Ensign’s posts, many criticized her actions, dubbing them an attack on a family-owned business. Comments ranged from questioning when attacking someone else for their political views became acceptable to calling the onslaught bullying disguised as activism. One user remarked that it’s troubling to see such hostility take shape in society.
“Do you really want to be remembered as the girl who targeted a family business over oysters?” asked another comment.
