A Chattanooga restaurant owner, who apologized this week for comments he earlier made on social media after George Floyd's death, said Friday his eatery was vandalized overnight.
Adrian De La Torre said electrical wires to outside lighting were cut and eggs were thrown on the deck at Poblanos Mexican Cuisine at 551 River St.
"That will have to be replaced and fixed," he said.
The incident comes after he had already received death threats and a large window was broken this week.
"Every action has a reaction," De La Torre said. "This is a life lesson for me."
He said he's planning a "mixer" on Saturday at the restaurant from 1 to 4 p.m. for the community.
"Anybody who wants to come by. We'll have drink specials, happy hour," he said.
"I want to show Chattanooga we're all the same. We're all one," the restaurant owner said. "We apologized and explained how it happened."
Plans are to give away the money brought in during that time to an organization which hasn't been decided upon yet, De La Torre said.
Following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and rioting and looting, De la Torre had posted on social media that rioters had "no right to destroy someone else's business."
"It's like if they did a protest in Chattanooga and they destroy my restaurant. I'm not the one who did the damage, they might be hurting but they took advantage of the opportunity because that's what they do. It's in their blood to steal and commit crimes," said a post.
The restaurateur was widely criticized on social media for his comments and called "incredibly racist" and prejudiced.
He later apologized and said he's not a racist, saying in a statement that his comments "have been the source of both anger and disappointment, and I understand why. Although it was an isolated and immediately regrettable incident, I take responsibility for what I said. In a brief moment of frustration, I made a poor judgment call that does not reflect my personal values."
Floyd, 46, pleaded with police while he was being arrested on May 25, saying couldn't breathe as he was held down with a knee on his neck by former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin as three other offers were present, according to videos.
Floyd's death has been ruled a homicide.
The restaurant owner, born in Guadalajara, Mexico, moved to Atlanta at 18 years old after a difficult childhood, and that's where he found his calling, he told the Times Free Press in an interview last year.
He worked at a job washing dishes at Marietta Diner, he said, but was noticed by the chef and soon found himself trained by some of the best in the city. He climbed from dishwasher to prep cook to sous chef and finally to executive chef at Farm to Fork in Ringgold, Georgia, De La Torre said.
He said he dreamed of owning a restaurant for years and opened Poblanos in 2018. When the opportunity was given, De La Torre said he had to take the chance.
"I'm know I'm not a racist," he said Friday. "I welcome everybody in my business."
Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @MikePareTFP.