Some Inland Empire restaurants remain open for outdoor dining in defiance of state's order

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif. - While restaurants in Los Angeles County continue to fight the county’s order to ban outdoor dining, other counties are outright defying the same order by Governor Newsom.

It’s been about 48 hours since California’s latest stay-at-home orders went into place, prohibiting in-store and outdoor patio dining in restaurants, so if anyone is open right now, there is little chance they are not aware.

FOX 11 dcecided visit some of these restaurants in the foothills of San Bernardino and Riverside County.

Near Rancho Cucamonga, we had coffee and toast for breakfast, served from a lovely waiter wearing a mask, who did not want be identified.

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By lunch, we were having huevos rancheros in Upland right next to the freeway, while customers at a micro brewery across the street were waiting for their order outside.

There was only one restaurant owner at Riverside’s Smokey Canyon BarB Cue. She is staying open and knows she is risking a her license, but it’s as much a matter of principle as it is financial.

Listen to what she says in our story, as well as her customers. For them, it seems to be as much a matter of feeling safe as it is of craving what they describe as amazing food.

There is definitely a sense of exhaustion with the newly implemented stay-at-home order. There is also a palpable lack of trust in most politicians, who are perceived as being out of touch and paying lip service to the plight of business owners losing what many have worked their entire lives for.

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