Roanoke Restaurant to Close Down After Hosting Drag Show Targeting Children

A Roanoke restaurant that became the center of controversy one year ago for hosting an “all-ages” drag show will be shutting their doors. 

According to a Facebook post, the Anderson Distillery and Grill is set to have their last day of business on Sunday, August 13. 

The restaurants attracted attention last August when drag queen Trisha Delish (the owner’s son) hosted the “Barrel Babes Drag Brunch,” which featured several other scantily clad drag queens dancing and performing lip-sync routines. On social media, the owner praised his “team and the inclusive environment we’re creating.”

Pro-family organizations such as Texas Family Project and Protect Texas Kids exposed and protested the event, which featured vulgarity, sexualization of minors, and partial nudity.

Armed antifa members also showed up as counter-protestors.

In a social media post, Sara Gonzales with Defend Our Kids Texas attributed the restaurant’s closure to “community pushback.”

“The owner complained that business was never the same, as members of the community rejected the woke restaurant and gave other restaurants their business instead,” said Gonzales. 

The restaurant says they will be relocating to Denton instead. Texas Family Project says they anticipate the same will happen in the restaurant’s new location. 

Meanwhile, legislation to prevent seuxalized performances from targeting children has been signed into law and will go into effect on September 1.

Brandon Waltens

Brandon serves as the Senior Editor for Texas Scorecard. After managing successful campaigns for top conservative legislators and serving as a Chief of Staff in the Texas Capitol, Brandon moved outside the dome in order to shine a spotlight on conservative victories and establishment corruption in Austin. @bwaltens