Son of a Baker at lockdown protest: Roman Urosevski posts on Instagram
The owner of an Insta-famous Sydney cafe chain has responded to customers who expressed their concerns about his attendance at Saturday’s anti-lockdown protest.
St George Shire Standard
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An Insta-famous cafe owner has documented his attendance at Sydney’s alarming anti-lockdown protest over the weekend on his official business page, sparking concern and outrage from once-loyal customers.
Social media posts obtained by the St George Shire Standard show the Son of A Baker cafe’s official Instagram page posted multiple videos of the controversial protest on Saturday.
Roman Urosevski is the sole owner of the cafe, which has locations in Miranda and Botany and is famous for its visually spectacular brunch options.
On Wednesday evening Mr Urosevski responded on Instagram to an outpouring of frustration from his customers.
“I have had many members of our valued community and media outlets reach out to provide a statement,” Mr Urosevski said.
“I am here to take accountability for any fear and anxiety I might have perpetuated in your lives due to sharing a point of view on a business page.”
Mr Urosevski said he ensures every Son of a Baker location runs with the “utmost care and regard for the health and safety of the public” as well as employees.
“I’m with you, I understand your anger and frustration,” Mr Urosevski said.
“Emotions are extremely high, we are all tired, and we are living in a daily state of anxiety and fear which all takes a toll.”
Mr Urosevski said “we” should “aim for unity but at the very least acceptance”.
“Thank you to those who supported me and continue to support me,” Mr Urosevski said.
“Thank you also to those who have expressed their discomfort and keep me accountable.”
On the weekend customers began commenting with their concerns in droves on the Son of a Baker Instagram page.
“These protests are not acceptable nor welcome in this community, you should be ashamed,” one commenter wrote.
“At least we all know not to buy from their stores again,” another wrote.
Yet another wrote: “It’s our community! It’s our business, and the business is putting our community at risk.”
Another customer wrote she would not be supporting Son of a Baker any more as a result of the protest attendance.
“Love your products, we buy 3+ times a week, but won’t be now,” she wrote.
“Really upsetting to see you protesting today – we will be in lockdown forever with this selfishness.”
A response to this comment from the official Son of a Baker Instagram – all of which was later deleted – reads “goodbye” with a waving emoji.
A war of words has now broken out in the Google Reviews for Son of a Baker’s Miranda location, with many giving one star reviews while the cafe’s supporters fight back with additional five star reviews.
“Never support this business,” a one-star review posted on Monday morning read.
Another one-star review read: “Great to see a business (allegedly) travel 20+ km outside of the LGA and attend an illegal protest, defying Covid-related legislation and public health orders. Nice to see you have the health and safety of your workers and customers in mind.”
Other reviews continued to heap criticism on the business as five star reviews supporting the owner flowed in simultaneously.
Another review read “Wow! So many 5 star reviews right after they (allegedly) attended the illegal protest on 24/7/21 which was a clear violation of the public health order. Wouldn’t want them laying a hand on my meals.”
Another appealed directly to Mr Urosevski, saying: “To the owner, freedom of speech doesn’t mean putting everyone’s lives at risk.”
“It’s beyond me how a business owner has that kind of logic.”