Locals in Orange County are reportedly planning to boycott a California restaurant after it shared a post remembering Charlie Kirk on the anniversary of his death.
The restaurant at the center of the controversy is Cortina’s Orange. The restaurant shared a photo on Instagram showing the area outside its establishment, including a flagpole with the American flag at the top. The post also paid tribute to Charlie Kirk and remembered him on his death anniversary.
In the caption of the Instagram post, the restaurant wrote, “Only with Responsibility there’s Independence and only with Independence there’s Freedom. RIP Charlie.” A screenshot of the post was later shared on Reddit in the subreddit dedicated to Orange County, where users quickly expressed their outrage.
The Reddit user who shared the post, u/tortoisenotaturtle, also expressed an intention to boycott the restaurant. “Haven’t been in forever but I suppose I won’t be going again. Nothing wrong with voting with your wallet,” they wrote.
A Redditor also shared a screenshot of an Instagram story posted by Cortina’s Orange. The story included a video remembering Kirk, with the phrase “One year. We miss you, Charlie” written over it. The Redditor also expressed an intention to boycott the restaurant, writing, “also this. BYE CORTINAS.” Other Reddit users likewise said they planned to stop supporting the restaurant.
Cortina’s Orange’s decision to publicly remember Charlie Kirk shows how tributes to politically divisive figures can affect businesses. Some customers may interpret the restaurant’s posts as an indication that it supports or identifies with Kirk’s political views, even if the owners intended the messages simply as an expression of sympathy.
In this case, the reaction on Reddit included multiple users saying they planned to boycott the restaurant, with some saying they would no longer spend money there. This illustrates how publicly honoring a controversial political figure can lead to calls for boycotts when customers feel the business has taken a position they strongly disagree with.
Viewers Outraged After California Restaurant Remembers Charlie Kirk
The post sparked reactions online. Many viewers were upset after seeing the California restaurant’s post remembering Charlie Kirk, with some locals announcing that they planned to boycott the establishment. “Never going there again,” one person wrote. Another person said, “Yikes… I don’t understand why a business would feel the need to post something like this…. Why alienate any of your customers? Seems like a bad business move.”
More people criticized both the restaurant and Kirk, with one person writing, “Never in my mind will I understand people who have made him out to be a martyr. What the [expletive] reality are these people in to think this guy was anything more than a right-wing agitator is beyond me. The fact that his wife is faking it to the moon is back says it all too. Gal Gadot has better acting, ffs. Sheeple be sheeple tho.”
On the other hand, some people defended the restaurant and said they planned to continue supporting it. “Ill get some sandwiches tomorrow,” one person said. Another person wrote, “Their business isn’t going to be hurting. Picking up a sandwich this weekend.”
The reaction to Cortina’s Orange highlights how quickly a business can become part of a wider political debate. For restaurants that publicly weigh in on divisive issues, even a single social media post can influence whether some customers choose to keep coming back.
