Beverly Hills Italian restaurant, La Scala, has come under fire for promoting a “speakeasy”-style indoor dining experience that would violate coronavirus safety measures.
City officials have denounced the eatery after patrons received slips of paper in their to-go orders advertising the New Year’s Eve event. Beverly Hills officials have directly contacted the restaurant as its advertised “speakeasy” would violate the city’s coronavirus safety protocols.
“We understand this is an incredibly difficult time for all of our businesses, however the County Order does currently prohibit indoor and outdoor dining, including in the City of Beverly Hills,” Beverly Hills Public Information Officer Keith Sterling said.
The Beverly Hills Police Department is also aware of the restaurant’s plans.
The La Scala invitations, which were sent out as Los Angeles County continues to see a drastic rise in new Covid-19 cases, related deaths and hospitalizations, liken the coronavirus pandemic to the 20’s Prohibition.
“We are considering taking reservations for New Year’s Eve Dinner. Inside,” the discreet invitation reads. “If this is something you’d be interested in, please let us know as soon as possible. If enough interest we’ll contact you back to secure a reservation.”
To keep with its tone of secrecy and subtle rebellion, the La Scala invitation ends with, “please keep this discreet, but tell all your friends.”
Merry Christmas everyone! La Scala’s Beverly Hills location is tucking these invitations to an indoor New Year’s Eve dinner in their takeout bags: “Please keep this discreet, but tell all your friends.” 💀💀💀 pic.twitter.com/hu4cJGYxce
— Alissa Walker (@awalkerinLA) December 25, 2020
City News Service contributed to this report.