Club 23, a friendlier Indiana pizzeria, comes out in support of LGBT customers

In order to give the LGBT community some better alternatives for their pizza if they’re in Walkerton, IN, I rang up some of Memories Pizza’s competitors. In case you didn’t know, Memories is the first restaurant to come out in support of Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act, stating publicly that: “If a gay couple came in and wanted us to provide pizzas for their wedding, we would have to say no.” (That’s Crystal O’Connor of Memories.) “That lifestyle is something they choose. I choose to be heterosexual. They choose to be homosexual. Why should I be beat over the head to go along with something they choose?” (That’s Kevin O’Connor of Memories.)

So I rang up Club 23 Bar and Grill, a pizzeria that’s literally a 3-minute walk up the road from Memories, and spoke briefly with a manager who goes by Marilyn (“Just Marilyn, please.”) and she had this to say:

“We don’t discriminate here [at Club 23]. It doesn’t matter who you are, who you’re in love with … we have no problem serving anyone who comes into our establishment.  I’ve had employees who are gay —I don’t have a problem with it. At all. It’s their personal life, and more power to them.”

She added: “The owners feel the exact same way.”

In the wake of the media storm — and setting up for the day’s business — she didn’t want to elaborate too much on the issue, but I’m sure her sentiments are enough to let the community know that there’s an alternative if you’ve got a hankerin’ for pie in the Walkerton, IN area.

Additionally, I called another competitor. I’ll give you our brief conversation in script form:

Employee: “Casey’s Carryout, this is [unnamed woman].”

Me: “Hi, I’m Berlin, calling from Out Front Magazine in Colorado. You’ve probably heard the news about Memories Pizza saying they’d use the controversial new law in Indiana to deny gays and lesbians service in their store. Since you serve pizza nearby, I was wondering if [the LGBT community] could come to your place to eat instead? Would you serve them?”

Employee: “Let me get a manager.”

[She muffles the receiver on the phone and all I can make out is “gays and lesbians.”]

[SLAM! The phone hangs up.]

Casey’s (also known as Casey’s General Store) is also on Roosevelt. We can’t tell if that’s a positive or negative for the community in the area, so our recommendation? Go with a sure bet if you want to spend your hard-earned dollars with pro-LGBT businesses and grab a bite from Club 23.

Club 23 Pizza
407 Indiana St, Walkerton, IN 46574
(574) 586-2400