Two More Major Restaurant Chains Tell Customers to Leave Their Guns at Home

Sonic and Chili’s have joined a handful of other restaurants in asking customers to leave their firearms at home.

The latest decisions come after a viral video showed open carry activists in Texas attempting to visit Sonic and Chili’s. They were asked to leave both locations, despite the absence of a company-wide policy on the issue.

Source: Everytown for Gun Safety

"We're asking that customers refrain from bringing guns onto our patios or into our indoor dining areas,” Sonic announced on Friday.

Chili’s, owned by Brinker International, said in a statement, “We kindly ask that guests refrain from openly carrying firearms into our restaurants and we will continue to follow state and local laws on this issue."

Judging from Chili’s statement, customers are still permitted to carry a concealed firearm as long as they are complying with the applicable state laws. Sonic’s statement suggests no guns are welcome at their restaurants.

The announcements were celebrated by anti-gun groups like Everytown for Gun Safety, which had created a petition to pressure the restaurants into enforcing a no-gun policy.

Chipotle announced earlier this month that only “authorized law enforcement personnel” should bring guns into their locations, while Starbucks made a similar announcement last year.