A California cafe owner is charging customers who wear a mask $5 to dine at his establishment.
Chris Castleman, 34, who owns Fiddlehead’s Cafe in Mendocino, California, put up a sign this week announcing the fee for customers who wear masks while ordering, NBC News reports.
“I don’t think $5 to charity is too much to ask from mask wearing customers who claim to care so much about the community they live in,” Castleman told NBC. Castleman said that he will donate the proceeds to Project Sanctuary, a local domestic abuse organization, for two weeks before a new nonprofit enters the rotation.
It isn’t the first time the cafe has offered an incentive for mask-less customers. In March, Castleman reportedly introduced a 50 percent discount for customers who throw their masks in the trash.
“I don’t believe in mask wearing,” Castleman added. “Our customer base has been strongly aligned with our beliefs, but I think some are really angry at our cafe. It’s their choice. They can choose what business they support. They can go to any other business in my county, state.”
Castleman said that he plans to keep the signs up for at least a couple of months as he doesn’t think Mendocino County will rescind its mask mandate anytime soon.
