Holland pizzeria's food license restored after owner flouted COVID-19 restrictions and was jailed
HOLLAND, Mich. - A Michigan restaurant owner who flouted COVID-19 restrictions and spent four nights in jail in March said she plans to reopen in a few weeks.
The food license yanked from Marlena's Bistro and Pizzeria in Holland has been restored, Marlena Pavlos-Hackney said.
"I'm grateful, but my fight isn't finished yet," Pavlos-Hackney said, referring to an appeal of earlier court decisions that landed her behind bars.
Pavlos-Hackney became the face of defiance over enforcement of virus-related restrictions. She continued to welcome indoor diners, despite state and local orders, and ignored other rules aimed at controlling the spread of COVID-19.
Customers filled tables and held rallies outside the restaurant to support her. Republican Sen. Tom Barrett called Pavlos-Hackney "Michigan's first political prisoner of the pandemic."
Ingham County Judge Rosemarie Aquilina, who put Pavlos-Hackney in jail, said she had put the community at risk.
The restaurant could be open again by Sept. 21. It has been closed since March.