Restaurant owner and provocateur Keith McNally faces boycott from New Yorkers after pro-Hamas and pro-Palestinian social media post that excused terror attack on Israel that left 900 dead
Famed New York restaurateur Keith McNally has outraged customers, fellow restaurant owners and even his own co-workers with a social media post about the Hamas attack on Israel.
The Balthazar owner posted a photo of the strikes on Instagram with the caption: ‘The more utterly repulsive the facts, the greater the responsibility to listen to the other side.’
Comments immediately flooded his posts with customers and even top hospitality names from Surf Lodge and Sixty Hotels vowing never to eat at one of McNally’s restaurants again.
“I stand by what I wrote this morning: THE MORE OBVIOUS THE FACTS, THE GREATER THE RESPONSIBILITY TO LISTEN TO THE OTHER SIDE,” McNally said. Page six.
‘It doesn’t mean forgive. That doesn’t mean you don’t reciprocate. It simply means listening. There is nothing to lose by listening. Nothing at all.’
Restaurateur Keith McNally (pictured) is known for his celebrity hotspot restaurants and for posting provocative comments online
McNally (left) poses with British-born Vogue editor Anna Wintour (right). He has previously sparked controversy over his comments that British people are the worst tippers and even banned James Corden from visiting his restaurants
President Joe Biden said at least 11 Americans were killed and as of Monday afternoon, more than 900 Israelis were confirmed dead while more than 2,000 were injured in the Hamas attack.
‘I’m part Jewish. In the 1970s I lived for long periods on an Israeli kibbutz. My older brother Petrus risked his life to spy for Israel. I think the atrocities committed by Hamas are vile, barbaric and totally repulsive,” McNally said.
Page Six claimed sources told them partners at McNally’s flagships Balthazar and Morandi asked him to take the job, but he declined to do so.
But McNally refuted that claim: ‘I only have two partners in my restaurants. Stephen Starr in Pastis and Helen Benham in Balthazar and Morandi. I haven’t heard a word from either of them today,’ he said.
A spokesman for Starr Restaurants, Stephen Starr’s business, said: ‘The horrific acts committed by Hamas against the Israeli and all Jewish people are indefensible and barbaric.
‘It was a terrorist attack. Starr Restaurants and Pastis in no way share the views expressed today by Keith McNally.’
The restaurateur admitted that a partner from his Meatpacking restaurant Pastis confronted him about it.
McNally said: ‘Pastis’s landlord’s partner, Jared Epstein, who emailed me earlier and mistakenly thought I had written “Support the other side” and not “LISTEN to the other side.”
Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City (pictured) continued Monday night after more than 900 Israelis were killed and more than 2,000 injured in an attack by Hamas
People in Israel were putting out their cars on Saturday after the Hamas surprise attack. Many people are still missing and are believed to have been taken hostage by Hamas
Epstein said he did not email the business owner, but did reply to the post: ‘Oh boy, I’m sure this horrible post will result in many lost friends, supporters and followers of yours, including myself .’
‘This attack is not only against Israel, but against all Jewish people. Hamas is an enemy of Christians, Hindus, minorities, LGBTQ, atheists, people of color and anyone who disagrees with their extremist idealistic ideology that all Jews must die. We all have skin in the game and need to show our support for Israel,” Epstein said.
The landlord said he fully supported Starr and said he believed, “in my heart that no Pastis employees or patrons share Keith McNally’s views.”
Jayma Cardoso, founder and creative director of Montauk’s fancy Surf Lodge, said McNally’s comments “ignore the horror of the actions against Israeli civilians at the hands of Hamas.”
‘He used his platform to spread ignorance, and has yet to correct his comments in any way. Shame on him,” she said.
Hotelier Jason Pomeranc, of Sixty Hotels, said: ‘There is no political justification for genocide. Did you think 911 was a time for witty banter or for moral clarity?’
In response to McNally’s pro-Hamas and pro-Palestine post, New Yorkers blasted McNally and vowed to boycott his businesses.
One person said: ‘You and your restaurants suck.’
“Cancel my Pastis booking just as you are about to be cancelled,” op user said.
Another said: ‘You just lost your biggest customer base. The Jews in New York and I love your restaurants.’
“I think you regret not using your brain before talking about this one. There is no “other side” to killing innocent people,” said one user.
Earlier this year, the London-born owner of celebrity hotspots was slammed for saying English people were the worst tippers.
McNally barred British talk show host James Corden from his restaurants last year over his “abusive” behavior towards servers. Corden apologized and the ban was rescinded.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Keith McNally for comment.