A beloved Peruvian restaurant in Concord, California, is closing its doors at the end of the year due to the financial toll of a discrimination lawsuit over its former "Ladies Night" promotion.
Lima Restaurant, located in Todos Santos Plaza, announced the closure on social media, expressing gratitude to its loyal patrons and reflecting on the community it fostered.
The lawsuit, which cost the restaurant tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees, centered on a promotion offering half-priced drinks to women for three hours each week, KRON reported. The state of California prohibits gender-based promotions, considering them discriminatory under equity laws.
Owner and chef John Marquez said the legal battle drained the restaurant's financial reserves, compounded by rising operational costs. Marquez believes his restaurant was unfairly targeted by people looking to capitalize on California's gender-based discrimination law.
Earlier this year, the Fresno Grizzlies baseball team was involved a similar discrimination lawsuit based on the stadium's ladies night featuring discounted drinks for female attendants.
Regular customers lamented the loss of Lima, one of the few independent restaurants remaining in the area after the pandemic.
"This square has been kind of shut down since COVID," said patron John Dias. "Concord is strip malls, and this is the only one that's not."
Lima's final day of service will be Dec. 31, leaving its community to bid farewell to a local favorite.
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