Max's Deli in Birmingham fights against that stupid "papers please" law

[Syrinx]

5. A little background

October 12. (I have no clue why it would be 125 degrees in the kitchen, though. That's a real head-scratcher. Doesn't the deli have a/c? Wouldn't meat spoil awfully fast at that temperature? And what about all the sweat flying around?)

Steve Dubrinsky, owner of a Jewish deli in Inverness, said he has pleaded with his nine-member kitchen staff, all of them legal immigrants from Mexico, not to bolt. So far, all have stayed, but Dubrinsky said is fearful that they will leave in the wake of what has been called the nation's toughest immigration law.

"They are scared and I can't blame them," he said. "It is affecting a lot of restaurants. It's a mess."

Dubrinsky, who has operated Max's Deli just off U.S. 280 in Cahaba Mall Shopping Center on Colonnade Parkway for four years, said all of his Hispanic employees have valid work documents.

"As far as I know, they are all legal," he said. "I'm not a private investigator. I could make assumptions and resort to racial profiling, but that would be unfair to them. "

http://blog.al.com/businessnews/2011/10/alabama_restaurant_owners_say.html

October 20.

Max's Delicatessen owner Steve Dubrinsky told The Huffington Post for a story published today that he has been "under attack" since speaking out for his restaurant's documented immigrant employees.

He says he has since received hate email, heard talk radio call for a boycott, and seen the online reviews of his food downgraded by people who have likely never eaten at his restaurant.

http://blog.al.com/businessnews/2011/10/maxs_deli_owner_talks_about_ba.html

October 25.

The morning the article ran, Matt Murphy, the host of a conservative talk show on 100.5 FM in Birmingham and some of his guests discussed whether to boycott Max's Deli. Dubrinsky called the show after hearing some callers claim that he employed illegal immigrants to correct them and insist his workers have proper documentation.

Dubrinsky also faced calls for a boycott from some patrons and a barrage of personal smears on al.com and other online sites, many filled with what he calls false information.

His restaurant was placed on an anti-immigration Web site, and folks from across the country who he says had never eaten at Max's Deli placed negative reviews on his restaurant, driving down once-stellar marks.

Last week, the backlash against Dubrinsky was featured in a story by The Huffington Post and since then, Dubrinsky says he has been overwhelmed by encouragement for his stand by people from across the globe.

http://blog.al.com/businessnews/2011/10/alabama_immigration_law_birmin.html

I'm not really a fan of Arianna Huffington, nor of her website, but here's an article from it.

Last week HuffPost told the story of Steve Dubrinsky, a Birmingham deli owner who was pilloried by strangers for defending his Latino workforce in an interview with the Birmingham News. Dubrinsky had told the paper that even documented Latinos were scared of Alabama's sweeping new immigration enforcement law, and that many legal workers would end up leaving the state because they no longer felt comfortable there.

Outraged by Dubrinsky's support of immigrants, strangers flooded his inbox with threats to boycott his restaurant, Max's Delicatessen. Typical of the missives Dubrinsky received: "I hope your unamerican establishment closes down!!!!" His restaurant suddenly received dozens of negative one-star reviews on Google, mostly from anonymous first-time posters.

But since late last week, Dubrinsky has witnessed an outpouring of support from a different set of strangers. After reading of Dubrinsky's plight, opponents of the new law have rallied around his deli, leading to one the busiest stretches at the restaurant that Dubrinsky can recall. He tells HuffPost that new diners have been driving from up to forty miles outside the city just to try his reuben and thank him for standing up for Latino workers.

"I've shaken more hands in the last two days than in the previous two years. It's been amazing," Dubrinsky said. "The restaurant has been pretty darn busy."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/24/alabama-immigration-law-maxs-deli_n_1028793.html

In case anyone wonders why I'm just posting about this now, when it happened in October: I wasn't really aware of the particular opposition of Max's Deli to the law until now. Friday I picked up a copy of the Birmingham News, which I do from time to time, because I like to read the restaurant and movie reviews. And I noticed an ad for the deli that featured a picture of one of those really tall-ass corned beef sandwiches like they have in New York at places like the Carnegie Deli. It looked delicious. And the ad included the website of the deli, so I went and took a look. I was hoping for some higher-resolution food porn.



Didn't really find that, but did find the somewhat surprising message about the newish immigration law. That's all.

Hopefully Steve is making so much money now with his new supporters that he can afford air conditioning.