Rick Bayless, Other Chicago Restaurateurs Closed Thursday For 'Day Without Immigrants'
(CBS) -- Celebrity chef Rick Bayless, known for his show "Mexico One Plate at a Time," will close his Chicago restaurants on Thursday in solidarity with staff who wish to participate in demonstrations called "A Day Without Immigrants."
"For three decades, we've been a place that has welcomed, respected and promoted our immigrant staff, friends and restaurant family," Bayless said on his website Wednesday. "Out of respect for our staff's vote to support Thursday's immigrant civil actions in Chicago and elsewhere, we are closing Frontera Grill, Topolobampo, Xoco and Fonda Frontera on Thursday."
Bayless said people who can't participate consider donating money to groups that are furthering the goal, including the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.
Bayless was out of town Wednesday and could not be reached for additional comment. Other restaurants across Chicago announced they, too, would close Thursday for "A Day Without Immigrants." The social-media driven campaign, which involves several cities, urges foreign-born people not to go to work or school or shop, as a way to show how immigrants help the U.S. economy.
In Chicago, a rally is set for 11 a.m. in Union Park.