Guests at Eyal Shani's renowned Hasalon restaurant in Miami alleged that the management forcefully prohibited them from waving an Israeli flag. To their surprise, the restaurant staff went so far as to call the police, leading to the confiscation of the flags.
In a series of stories posted on social media, Shawn Levin documented the evening's events. Initially, the atmosphere was lively, with guests enjoying music and dancing, as is customary at Shani's successful and well-known establishments. However, the situation quickly escalated. Levin shared a story of guests proudly celebrating with the Israeli flag accompanied by a caption directed at Shani: "Eyal Shani, are you supporting Israel and the abducted soldiers? Are Israeli flags not allowed here?"
Subsequently, Levin recorded police officers arriving at the scene, seemingly called by the restaurant's manager. According to Levin, the manager was responsible for prohibiting the flag-waving and even refused service to the Israeli group. In the background of the video, Levin can be heard questioning, "In a restaurant where 99% of the patrons are Israeli, we can't wave our flag? Is this how things work? Can't you allow the Israeli flag here, bro?"
The incident did not end there. The stories continued with the group taking their Israeli flag to the street outside the restaurant, accompanied by the caption, "Eyal Shani is anti-Israeli."
In the final video, a gathering of people, including the police, can be seen outside the restaurant. Levin expresses his disbelief, asking, "How foolish is it to say that we can't wave the Israeli flag in an Israeli restaurant?" He concludes with gratitude for the police being called, sarcastically stating, "Thank you, Hasalon. We can't wave the Israeli flag in an Israeli restaurant. I'll cancel my credit card. Save me some tomato."
Eyal Shani, who recently earned a second Michelin star for his restaurant Shmona in New York, has garnered an impressive reputation both in Israel and worldwide for his restaurants.
As of the time of publication, there has been no response from Eyal Shani regarding these allegations.