Sydney Cafe Closes After Trump-Loving Owner’s Homophobic Rant
Image: buenoeatery/Instagram
An inner west Sydney cafe has closed only weeks after first opening its doors, with its Trump-loving owner blaming “snowflakes” for its failure to thrive.
Former Australian Idol contestant, Mark Da Costa, opened Bueno Eatery in St Peters on March 19, at the site of beloved inner-west institution Khamsa, which closed after the landlord hit the family business with an annual rent increase of almost $50,000.
Bueno isn’t Da Costa’s first attempt at establishing himself in the hospitality industry. He attracted criticism in 2020 after announcing his vegan restaurant in Waterloo was a “Donald Trump safe zone”.
“The leftist vegans aren’t welcome,” he wrote on the cafe’s Facebook page at the time.
“The gay community who were quick to judge even though we supported them during the plebiscite aren’t welcome. We only want free thinking kind people who enjoy plant-based food and nothing else.”
The restaurant was quickly closed following his outburst.
Third time’s the charm?
In a statement to the Sydney Morning Herald in March, Da Costa said his comments five years ago were “childish to say the least”.
“I don’t participate in political matters any more and will only concern myself with providing the locals and Sydney an eatery where they can feel like the food adds value to their own personal health goals,” he said.
However, after only six weeks in St Peters, Da Costa was forced to close Bueno’s doors, and took to social media to air his complaints.
“We closed. Yeah, we can’t survive in an area where people can’t figure out if they are male, female, dogs or cats,” he wrote.
“Unfortunately the owner’s views are simple. You got a dick you’re male, you got a muff you’re a female.
“What you think you are should be respected, but you cannot force that upon others. You must equally have respect for what other people believe to be truth.”
Da Costa changed Bueno’s Instagram bio to say “fuck you all”, before deleting the pages entirely.
Speaking to news.com.au following the incident, Da Costa claimed Newtown was “infested with rats and hairy men.”
“Releasing a song about it in June… so that you can be offended by it. Fuckin snowflakes. The lot of them,” he said.
Well, like many Trump supporters, he did FAFO!
A friend has disappeared down that Murdoch:/Trump rabbit hole. He is gay but bizarrely, like this fellow, he was never the brightest card in the deck but it still saddens me. 53 years ago he and I and other great pretenders danced the night away at Capriccio’s the only gay bar in Oxford Street Darlo, in 1972. When Caps closed the only cafe open nearby was a little place, “Nanna’s”, just around the corner in Bourke Street, on corner of Patterson Lane. The waitress was a lovely, tall drag queen called Robyn Gibb (she was a Bee Gees tragic). They served great coffee, and jaffles, and Marilyn Monroe caramel and banana pancakes’ . Occasionally, someone in the kitchen would open the food-serving hatch and pass out a large joint to be shared around the customers (which boosted orders for the pancakes),. The most popular song on the juke box was the current hit : Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side”.
Good , if he wants to be like an American go and live there
Full of hairy men 😋, I might have to come and visit then , thanks for letting me know where they all hang out
Bring Khamsa back!!!!!!!!!
Unfortunately, not likely to happen as the owners moved to Melbourne after being price gouged by Sydney Real Estate.
Sydney, do better!!!
If the photo shown of his cafe is correct then no self-respecting person, irrespective of their gender, sexuality, ethnicity would bother to enter such an unwelcoming, uncomfortable looking place. If the food looked as boring then why would you buy it? Typical Trumpian, never takes any responsibility for their own failures, blames everyone else.
Oh dear, still going through puberty clearly!!!
This is a self punishing situation clearly!!!!
Go do some serious self reflection (to find out that you’re just a permanent dickhead with a raging personality disorder)
Move to America moron!!!!!
American here. Mr De Costa does at least seem to have a firm grasp on how American Conservatism works.
– Businesses should be free to run their business as they see fit.” … So long as it’s YOUR business.
– “The free market will self-correct.” … Until the free market decides not to eat at your crappy restaurant; then it’s some big conspiracy against YOU.
– “This participation trophy society needs to grow up and take responsibility for their own actions and circumstances.” … Except when YOU fail. Then it’s everyone else’s fault and not at all a consequence of you deciding to alienate a majority of the population.
Remember kids:
“But, but, I didn’t think the leopard would eat MY face!”
– Person who voted for the Leopards Eating People’s Faces party
A leopard doesn’t change its spots. He can’t blame anyone else for the fact that his restaurant closed. It may be off topic, but as someone who is coeliac, lactose intolerant and has to follow a Low FODMAP Diet, this isn’t the type of place where I would want to eat as people who tend to view vegetarians and vegans in a negative way also tend to be ignorant of dietary requirements.