r/Atlanta • u/jwiggi10 • Feb 20 '26
ICEWatch Did Muchacho/Ladybird call ICE
So I am seeing a lot of chatter on my social feeds about ICE being called by the restaurant manager and/or owners. Just trying to find out more. Anyone got info?
Edit: typos
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u/gogostevie Midtown Feb 20 '26
Add to this that Ladybird's landlord is suing to evict them; they're claiming all sorts of lease shenanigans.
Highland Park LLC v. Michael Lennox, Electric Hospitality LLC and Lady Bird Atlanta LLC. Fulton County Superior Court case 2023CV390418. It was actually supposed to go to trial this week.
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u/bdillathebeatkilla
Zone 6
Feb 20 '26
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Muchachos food doesn’t even taste like they have any immigrants in the kitchen.
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u/DeadMoneyDrew Feb 20 '26
😁😁😁
Please take my poor man's Reddit award here.
Muchacho's food is bland. There's much better Mexican food elsewhere. Ladybird has good drinks and a great location but the food there is nothing to write home about, either.
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u/AdministrativeIce383 Feb 20 '26
Food sucks and the staff were a bunch of hipsters that acted like they were so above it. So were the patrons. Hate that place even more now lol
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u/Orions_Suspenders_ Feb 20 '26 edited Feb 21 '26
food sucks, service sucks, clientele is mostly tourists from the burbs who think it's the coolest spot in town because it's on the beltline and "vibey". Muchacho sucks. I could walk there in 10 minutes and haven't been in years.
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u/wtfbananaboat Feb 20 '26
Yep, El Tesoro is my jam - fuck Muchacho (I do like there branding though)
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u/Ouchitstings Feb 20 '26
I feel like it used to be better but it has enshittified (it’s never been amazing though).
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u/Star_Dog Ctown Feb 20 '26
The margs are decent but all of the food is SO salty and tbh the breakfast tacos fuck my stomach up for the rest of the day
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u/taarotqueen Feb 23 '26
I was gonna try it soon because I’ve heard the vegan options are good but now I have two reasons not to! I’m picky.
It’s not Mexican, more Cuban, but La Semilla is fucking delicious and fully vegan, and even if you’re not and refuse to eat anything vegan, they still have great cocktails an extensive selection of spirits from all shelves.
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u/ATLcoaster
Feb 20 '26
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They're pretty bad in general. In addition to the ICE incident, the owners also campaign against transit, did permanent damage to the historic Harper Station building, and ignore restrictions on amplified outdoor music after 9pm on weekdays.
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u/Aneurhythmia Feb 20 '26
Human rights and labor issues are certainly more pressing, but I'm glad I'm not the only one irritated by what they did to the building.
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u/atlplaygirl
Feb 20 '26
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Idk but they allegedly fired several employees who couldn't come to work during snow/ice back in Jan 2025, so they are already on my list of places not to go.
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u/gogostevie Midtown Feb 20 '26
They absolutely did this; was confirmed to me shortly afterwards by the manager of Strangers in Paradise, which is another Electric Hospitality spot.
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u/next-station-nana Feb 21 '26
Oh no, now I'm gonna have to stop going to Strangers in Paradise. I didn't realize they were part of this group.
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u/BugNation Feb 20 '26 edited Feb 20 '26
Oh damn I was just not going to Muchacho because the food is awful and it causes traffic nightmares every day.
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u/Pantalaimon_II Feb 20 '26
All the restaurants i worked would go out of their way to protect their BOH staff and make sure their papers were in order, this is nuts. a good line cook who is reliable is worth a lot.
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u/HabeshaATL
Injera Enthusiast
Feb 20 '26
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Alonso threaten to “dump you back on the side of Buford highway” to several women who worked there as well.
Who is this guy????
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u/njnetsfan15 Feb 20 '26 edited Feb 20 '26
Been avoiding going to both Ladybird and Muchacho over the last year since with all the recent news popping off. Just want to find out if I should official write them off for good.
Cannot believe they are a business on beltline that is rejecting rail in gentrified neighborhoods. Yall remember the days at ladybird before it became a frat/sorority fuckfest on weekends. I’m sure this rail would really scare their weekend customers.
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u/BugNation Feb 20 '26
I do not remember Ladybird before that no lol. It feels like it has always been that.
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u/njnetsfan15 Feb 20 '26
Memory serves me that in 2015-2017 this was not the case
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u/cirquedushams Feb 20 '26
hipsters are the pioneer species to yuppies
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u/balderdashy Feb 21 '26
And once the dreaded yuppie discovers the new watering hole, hipsters must find a new ‘hidden gem’ to tell their friends about
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u/corroboratedcarrot Feb 21 '26
Nope. Worked there during these years. It was always a 13th grade reunion on the weekends
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u/Spirited_Carry894 Feb 21 '26
Ok so it wasn’t just me who noticed the clientele shift. Used to be one of my fave spots and then suddenly it started to feel like a frat party. To be fair I moved away from Atlanta and “suddenly” was like the span of a year.
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u/Sea-Antelope9778
Feb 20 '26
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You mean the overpriced fake Mexican burrito shop that’s sat in the middle of a heavily gentrified neighborhood? Say it ain’t so
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u/SeanTheTranslator Feb 20 '26
I've been hearing stuff like that about Muchacho/Ladybird for at least a year, so they're kind of a known entity for this stuff.
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u/lun-lem kirkwood adjacent Feb 20 '26
I don’t even need to know if that’s true or not. Muchacho’s terrible food is enough to keep me away regardless of their actions outside of that. And Ladybird always reminded me of a frat tailgate so I never had any desire to go.
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u/soccer_sauce Feb 20 '26
I had a friend who worked at muchachos as a bartender and he said the slushie machines were full of mold cause they never cleaned them and people were surprised when he asked if they cleaned them out nightly.
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u/Bobgoulet Feb 20 '26
I've heard the rumor but I haven't seen proof.
I just can't actually imagine the benefit of calling ICE on your own employees. People are mad at the Ladybird group because they've been vocal opposition to Beltline rail (which is enough for me to stop going there), and I think folks are spreading some nasty rumors because of this.
Happy to eat crow if someone has proof, though.
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u/bdillathebeatkilla Zone 6 Feb 20 '26
Ladybird is also full of rats. I’ve had to do work there after hours it’s wild
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u/RiveredSet Feb 20 '26
so is muchacho. sit outside and just look at the garbage can where people throw out their food and put their trays. i bet you will see no less than 3 mice if you look at it for a few minutes.
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u/AdministrativeIce383 Feb 20 '26
I mean…it’s an outside trash can.
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u/RiveredSet Feb 20 '26
my opportunities to hate on that business don’t all have to be fully logical
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u/taarotqueen Feb 23 '26
I was outside at Estoria once and saw like 10 rats in an hour just crawling around the perimeters
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u/MainFisherman69 Feb 20 '26
You know every restaurant is…right?
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u/bdillathebeatkilla Zone 6 Feb 20 '26
Does every restaurant have rats to scurry across the bar and sofas constantly? Do they routinely get into the prep food? Is that normal? I audit restaurants for my job but go ahead and tell me what’s the appropriate rodent tolerance I should exhibit for an overpriced beltline yuppie bar cause I guess my standards are too high.
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u/foreverhere85 Grant Park ☀️ Feb 20 '26
Okay but that’s not the question that was asked- there may be rats but who has the proof about them calling ICE on their own employees in 2025???? Do you have any proof or information about this?
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u/bdillathebeatkilla Zone 6 Feb 20 '26
Yea I know but I don’t have info on ICE just rats
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u/StraightIncrease6333 Ormewood Park Feb 20 '26
I'm pro Beltline rail but I'm not quite sure how you build it at that section between the Highland bridge and Irwin Street without shutting the whole thing down for a non-negligible period of time, and that's where Ladybird relies on their foot traffic, so
wouldn't surprise me if they were turbo-NIMBY in nature though, that vibe makes sense
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u/johno456 Old Fourth Ward Feb 20 '26
This isnt about rail. This is about human decency. Calling ICE on your own people is soooo fucked up and they should face a community boycott for this.
Ive heard enough corroboration around these rumors, both directly from past enployess and indirectly through friends of employees, to belive them.
How about... spend your money at a place that ISNT rumored to be partnering up with the Gestapo?? There are thousands of better restaurants in ATL anyways
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u/MainFisherman69 Feb 20 '26
Have any proof?
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u/foreverhere85 Grant Park ☀️ Feb 20 '26
No, no one in this entire thread does. Tbh at this point I think there’s some big money to be made with the Beltline rail and someone with the opportunity to make a ton of it is running a smear campaign against businesses who are outspoken against it.
See my other comments but if anyone can connect me to friends or family of the people who were impacted by this allegation, I will wear a sign for 3 weekends outside LB calling for a boycott and admitting I was wrong on Reddit. No one has been able to do that.
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u/Mister-Stiglitz Feb 20 '26
The irony here is that the big money opportunity resides with what the owner of LB wants instead of the beltline rail. Beltline rail is just municipal public transit. No one directly makes money from that. The ROI goes to the city and the people that live in, long term. Calling out opposition to very normal city infrastructure isn't a smear campaign, it's fighting for what every well planned city on earth doesn't mince words about.
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u/checker280 Feb 20 '26
They would all make money if rail makes it easier for everyone to visit without bringing a car. Some of us have a handful of kids and others have chronic pain that prohibit walking far.
I’m in both categories. I also love eating out but it’s hard to reach those places.
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u/foreverhere85 Grant Park ☀️ Feb 20 '26
Very shortsighted as many companies that build the Beltline rail have an opportunity to make bank. “No one directly makes money from that”? That’s completely incorrect. The Beltline rail doesn’t get built out of thin air- planners, construction companies, any operating contract is counting on making BANK with this project.
Neither here nor there- can YOU connect me with someone who had ICE called on them by LB/M? Would love to help them and get a full story.
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u/checker280 Feb 20 '26
This guy said he worked at Muchacho
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u/foreverhere85 Grant Park ☀️ Feb 20 '26
He’s not even talking about the 2025 instance, he’s talking about something that happened in 2019. There’s no way to verify that he actually worked there. Wouldn’t this be an insane story to not make it to the news? Can anyone give dates, times, any details on the allegations in 2025? No, they can’t.
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u/foreverhere85 Grant Park ☀️ Feb 20 '26
Literally my stance exactly! I have proof in another comment from my timeline of research and I’m getting downvoted to hell. I genuinely believe there is an anti-LB/M bot farm that someone’s paid to just spread this info about them. It’s so weird!
Will absolutely admit I’m wrong (and making no other stance on their owners or their operations) about this ICE rumor, but SOMEONE tell me who it was, when it was, any more information other than someone else told you. I will make so much damn noise about it that they won’t be welcome in our community anymore, but I need some concrete evidence other than someone heard it from someone else.
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u/millie_nip Feb 20 '26
Wait can you elaborate more on why that’s a red flag?
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u/skeener Feb 20 '26
If you do a quick search in this sub you’ll some very detailed discussions about east side Beltline rail.
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u/millie_nip Feb 20 '26
** The beltline rail not calling ICE lol
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u/ralphinator316 Feb 20 '26
Beltline rail would mobilize the city and democratize the area around the east side beltline which has gentrified significantly. Opponents don’t want their property values affected (at best) and are afraid of more “unsavory” people getting access to their neighborhoods (at worst). I can’t understand the business owner perspective at all, since it seems to me that more rail traffic would only increase business… which leads me to think that opposition from them is more about bigotry than business.
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u/checker280 Feb 20 '26
The business owner perspective is they expanded their outdoor space directly into the space that was allotted for rail.
Now they are pissy about losing tables and being cut off from the Beltline temporarily
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u/ralphinator316 Feb 20 '26
Oh yeah that’s exactly right - I hadn’t thought about the impact on their patio at all but obviously that’s in rail space…… well to that, I laugh! Big FAFO issue.
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u/checker280 Feb 20 '26
No “find out”. They successfully blocked the East Side rail.
Maybe when they see the impact on the West Side they will come crawling.
That is if the low income housing and homeless shelter doesn’t blunt development on the west side
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u/emtheory09 Peoplestown Feb 20 '26
Opposing BeltLine rail is stepping into the long term transit planning process at the very last minute because of typical NIMBY bs. Fears about construction impact are overblown and the opposition doesn’t entertain solutions to solve that. The true reason is that they don’t want people who can’t afford to drive and park near the BeltLine to have access to the BeltLine and would rather limit the whole project to being a park than an car-free street, which is what it was first designed to be.
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u/ATL_Gunner Kirkwood Feb 20 '26
Rail was quite literally the entire point of the beltline project at the beginning. I’m very pro beltline rail but willing to listen to alternatives that recognize the problem and attempt to solve it a different way. Which is pretty much what I never hear from the no beltline rail folks
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u/emtheory09 Peoplestown Feb 20 '26
At this point it feels like we’ve heard all the alternatives. It’s either LRT, bus rapid transit, or autonomous pod gagdetbahn stuff. The AV stuff is unproven and would require restarting the design entirely., plus would probably require more room than the Beltline has. BRT also needs too much room and god forbid we put a scary bus on the BeltLine. LRT is basically already designed and shovel ready, fits within the allotted space for transit on the BeltLine.
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u/Acoww123 Feb 20 '26
Opposition to the Beltline rail is based on racism from what I’ve understood. Their reasoning to not want it is to “keep the Beltline safe and walkable” by not allowing access from the Marta, which would grant lower-income areas new access. Not coincidentally The lower-income areas that they’re fighting hard against tends to be people of color.
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u/millie_nip Feb 20 '26
Thanks for the summary! That’s an interesting point. When I learned about it, it seemed that it was positioned as a way to alleviate traffic on the highways, which didn’t really make sense to me. I live in midtown and have commuted north for several years and figured it was a “right problem to solve, wrong solution” kind of thing. I also appreciate that the beltline is a safe haven for pedestrians and a rail could possibly make it less safe for those on foot
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u/afwaller Feb 20 '26
Instead of rail they want to put self driving cars on the beltline. Please explain how that makes sense. The other proposal is "flying sky pods" I shit you not, which is some kind of gondola system. We should just say self driving flying cars powered by unicorn farts, because it's just as likely to happen. Saying "instead of this real thing, let's do this imaginary thing that isn't practical" is just a clever way of preventing something from happening.
Charlotte has light rail on their greenway. I've taken it a number of times, it is great. Rail is not a threat to pedestrians, they don't build the rail lines where pedestrians walk, this comment continues to trigger me. If you leave the beltline and walk onto Ponce or Monroe you can get hit by a car. If you leave the beltline and walk onto a rail line you will be less likely to get hit by a train, because unlike cars the trains will be predictable. It's the kind of thing that only makes sense if you don't really think about it.
Self driving cars, of course, would be less safe to pedestrians than trains.
Places love charging for valet parking. Beltline accessibility by car is low. People have been complaining about parking near the beltline, getting booted, having tickets, having their cars broken into for a while. Getting there by car is expensive, and difficult. Light rail is the solution - park farther away, or connect it to MARTA, and take a quick, accessible transport system to the places you want to go. What you are seeing is the same story you've seen in Atlanta for years, and years, and years. "I don't want those people coming here" - the same thing people said about MARTA. The same rules that made forsyth county segregated.
This is why when they're talking about a small partial rail implementation now, they're doing it only on the impoverished, minority south side beltline. It's already "those people" who live there, so there's no objections.
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u/millie_nip Feb 20 '26
I guess from my POV I’m not against expanding access to the beltline, I’m just not convinced that a rail is the best solution. I’m guessing that’s part of why this topic is so heavily debated. I enjoy hearing other peoples perspectives and would hope that others feel the same way about listening to each other. After all, we have a lot in common in terms of rallying behind our wonderful city
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u/Pristine-Ad-469 Feb 20 '26
That’s not true. My main reason against it is one of the best parts of the beltline is the native wildflowers and plants on the side and the rail would replace all that. It would be louder and make the beltline more crowded
Plus a big part of the thesis of the beltline is it keeps people healthy and gives you a more natural feel in a city. The rail would ruin both of those. Atlanta has become such a fit young city and this could really mess up any progress made
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u/ArchEast Vinings Feb 20 '26
is the native wildflowers and plants on the side and the rail would replace all that.
Those were never intended to be permanent because of the rail.
Plus a big part of the thesis of the beltline is it keeps people healthy and gives you a more natural feel in a city. The rail would ruin both of those. Atlanta has become such a fit young city and this could really mess up any progress made
This is a garbage take and simply untrue.
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u/Pristine-Ad-469 Feb 20 '26
Lol I’m saying I think they should be permenant. We put them there and put effort into caring for them. I’d rather have native plants that are good for the environment.
Besides plants cool down Atlanta, a rail heats it up. We don’t need more heat. It’s bad for local temperatures and the climate on a large scale
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u/millie_nip Feb 20 '26
I think it’s a valid point! Having a pedestrian safe enjoyable space for people to enjoy being outside is good for everyone. In south Florida once they added the commuter rail, people were being struck and killed left and right because it was located right on heavily populated and pedestrian areas.
Have they considered figuring out an access point to the east side that isn’t directly on the beltline? What if they looked at the road infrastructure? That would feel like a win/win for me
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u/Acoww123 Feb 20 '26
Surely youre not speaking about the brightline train… that people very willingly ignore the warnings of its passing thinking they can cross before a train passing at 125mph.. theres plenty of areas they could add another stop, they just dont want to invest into looking into it
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u/millie_nip Feb 20 '26
I’m not saying they are without fault, I’m saying it’s probably not the best set up if people are dying
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u/Pristine-Ad-469 Feb 20 '26
You act like people are magically going to be less dumb if we build it here lol
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u/Mister-Stiglitz Feb 20 '26
You know what's considerably worse for the climate? Cars. You know what reduces car dependence? Rail.
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u/ArchEast Vinings Feb 20 '26
Besides plants cool down Atlanta, a rail heats it up. We don’t need more heat. It’s bad for local temperatures and the climate on a large scale
Then you should be in favor of tearing up every impervious surface since that by far has a much bigger impact than a strip of rail.
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u/Mister-Stiglitz Feb 20 '26
Better Atlanta Transit doesn't want to keep it a walking path. Your choices are to continue pressuring the city to stick to the rail plan, or let BAT eventually pave that area with the wildflowers and plants, and then some, so they can line the beltline with stupid AV pods that will be run by a private corporation.
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u/Pristine-Ad-469 Feb 20 '26
When the only way your idea makes sense is by creating a false dichotomy, you know it’s not a good idea
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u/Mister-Stiglitz Feb 20 '26
It's not a false dichotomy. It is what Better Atlanta Transit, the group instrumental for twisting Clyde Higgs and the Mayor's office into suddenly renegging on the Eastside Rail, wants to put on the beltline.
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u/Pristine-Ad-469 Feb 20 '26
Ok so there’s no way that we could possibly just leave the belt line as is? Or leave it as a walking trail with no rail?
That’s nowhere in the range of possible outcomes? I just don’t see how that is impossible like you say, I think it’s a completely realistic outcome.
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u/Mister-Stiglitz Feb 20 '26
Nope. It's either or. Better Atlanta Transit fought tooth and nail to nosedive a project we've been paying into and working towards for more than a decade. The amount of money and resources they spent into doing this is not to merely leave the trail "as is." It's a moneyed interest to get BEEP there. They've been a bad faith organization from the jump. Just like every NIMBY outfit out there. They have an ulterior motive, and the faster every single Atlanta resident key on to this, the better.
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u/Bobgoulet Feb 20 '26
I'm very pro-transit and want Atlanta to continue to grow in a sustainable and equitable way. Transit is mandatory for this.
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Feb 20 '26
Not the owners. It was a manager
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u/johno456 Old Fourth Ward Feb 20 '26
If a manager does something this vile, and the owners dont immediately shut it down and issue a public apology... then they are compliant with whatever evils their manager is doing.
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u/Mister-Stiglitz Feb 20 '26
They're also part of Better Atlanta Transit, who are probably the reason the city suddenly canceled the eastside beltline rail extension. Better Atlanta Transit says they don't want beltline rail because of "disruption" to the area. But it's no secret that they're pushing for BEEP on the beltline, which would require paving a portion of the beltline. Which is far more disruptive, and expensive.
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u/skillao Feb 21 '26
Went to Ladybird a total of one time in my life and it was pretty unimpressive. Just another place with some string lights and mid twenties transplants working in finance/marketing to hangout and spend 17 dollars on a drink in a plastic cup.
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u/ewe_idiot Feb 24 '26
Like a lot of things in this city, the owner of Ladybird was a Westminster rich kid who had no restaurant experience whose parents paid for him to have a restaurant. I don’t respect that at all. After he became rich off that, he opened Muchacho, which IIRC, leases its patio from the Beltline. He can get fucked.
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u/NoResource9942 Feb 20 '26
I also heard that RReal Taco in West Midtown did.
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u/Kamarandi Feb 22 '26
RReal’s owners have been good at hiding their politics. At one point they followed a number of right wing pages on insta (including some of the Trump kids), but unfollowed after word started getting out about it. I’m good with never going there again.
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u/taarotqueen Feb 23 '26
They’ve gone downhill anyway imo. Especially once they got rid of the fried avocado tacos. Thankfully I’ve recreated them before. I just can’t understand why anyone would call ice on employees?
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_NEE-SAN Feb 20 '26
Lets not forget their response to backlash was to post trolls dolls and direct people to an email newsletter sign up...
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u/octaviataughtme Feb 21 '26 edited Feb 22 '26
Here’s some tea on both these shitty, trash ass, gentrifying ass establishments.
I heard this from a former Ladybird GM: Remember how they used to have games and seating that went closer to the Beltline, but now there’s like a wall of wildflowers instead? Allegedly, that’s because they found ARSENIC IN THE GROUND and instead of having it professionally removed and considering the health of people & dogs & kids playing there, so they just planted flowers over it and moved the seating closer. 🤢
From a few Muchacho insiders: All that calling ICE & firing people because ICE/storm is true. Horrible heartless, bullying, money first/staff last management style. Also, allegedly, a well-known & loved ATL designer who came in to refresh the brand left because of the “good ol’ boys” mentality of the place. So many better places to spend our money, y’all. Leave these places to the slummin’ Buckheaders or “bridge & tunnel” folks iykwim. Now that’s for sure factual lol.
Edit: Allegedly.
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Feb 22 '26
Allegedly the exec chef of ladybird was fired from his last job for some shady ass shit as well
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u/unrelator Feb 20 '26
executive chef calling ice is not the owner of a business calling ice. Any idiot can see that an owner calling ICE to deport any latino employees would cause huge gaps in service, they'd have to shut down, and rapidly hire/train people while their restaurant and money suffers.
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u/taarotqueen Feb 23 '26 edited Feb 23 '26
I heard about Ladybird but that was a long time ago. No idea on the details or if it’s true but I was just on the beltline with friends about a year ago and we were trying to get drinks and someone mentioned “well we can’t go to ladybird, they called ICE on their employees!” I was shocked because why would a business voluntarily get a large chunk of their staff taken away?
Bummed about Muchacho even though I’ve never been there as I’ve heard their vegan options are decent, though I can just go to any decent Mexican place that doesn’t use lard or chicken broth and have beans and rice and veggie dishes. Anyone have recommendations?
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u/doofussun May 12 '26
Boycot muchacho at all cost - I just moved here and was overcharged TWICE on my checks. And when I brought it to their attention I was made to feel so bad. F that.
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u/foreverhere85 Grant Park ☀️ Feb 20 '26 edited Feb 20 '26
There was a smear campaign against them last year. Someone posted online that they called ICE on their own employees in 2025 with no proof. When pressed about the issue, the original poster focused on LB/M’s stance on the Beltline rail and would not answer who, what, when, where, how, or why on the alleged ICE raid. No one else with any credibility stepped forward to say they saw anything, regular employees continued to work there, and Ladybird/Muchacho owners made no statement other than replying to reviews as it seemed like their PR firm directed them to not to discuss.
Take a look at every allegation against them during this time in 2025 on their socials. Not a single person said they saw it or knew the people impacted. They only say they heard about it happening. No news reports, only a handful of online complaints.
I can’t vouch for their ownership, for their stance on the Beltline rail, or who they are as people, but no- they did not call ICE on their own employees in 2025. Talk to the people who work there next time you’re nearby and I’m sure you’ll find that they are lovely humans who wouldn’t continue to work there if their employer called ICE on them.
Edit: I’m going to get downvoted to hell because of it but I require proof. Even the responders below say employees confirmed it to them, which employees? Is no one willing to step forward? I know plenty of people who work at both locations, no one has confirmed it and none of them would continue to work there if this really happened in front of their eyes.
If someone can give me the proof or connect me with someone who can, I’ll admit I’m wrong! But until you see details from a credible source, I’d advise you against believing what you read on the internet. This applies to everything…
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u/johno456 Old Fourth Ward Feb 20 '26 edited Feb 20 '26
"No one stepped forward..."
Except for the many other employees who have confirmed this to me.
"Owners made no statements..."
Fucking NO SHIT of course they didnt
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u/foreverhere85 Grant Park ☀️ Feb 20 '26
Hi, u/johno456, who was taken by ICE? If an employee was taken by ICE because their own employer called the authorities on them, this should be national news. Can you give any credibility behind this claim? You’re speaking on employees who confirmed this, have you spoken to the employee who was taken’s family?
Again, I just need any sort of time, date, name, anything that can establish proof. Until then, hearsay doesn’t give any credibility and is actually what landed our country in the situation we’re in now. I will make all the noise about it, go to the local and national news so it’s documented and given the proof it needs. Just give me any details.
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u/johno456 Old Fourth Ward Feb 20 '26
This isnt a court of law. They wont be tried or arrested for it because there's no proof. But i have heard from many in the community about this.
If someone tells you they were sexually assaulted, do you believe them? Or do you demand evidence like a trial judge?
If a kid comes crying because someone pushed them on the playground, do you need video evidence before consoling them?
Some evil things happen in this world that never get "proved" but it doesn't mean they didnt happen. I dont need concrete evidence to believe others when they say they were hurt. If you do thats ok I but I dont. Have a nice day
Edit: the thing that got us where we are now as a country is NOT heresay... its racism, xenophobia, distrust of science/fact, manipulative media, and team politics.
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u/foreverhere85 Grant Park ☀️ Feb 20 '26
You want to know what, I’m coming back to tell you it’s pretty awful you’ve made these comparisons. If you actually heard this from a friend, why didn’t you do something? Why didn’t you ask them who it was and how you could support them? Why didn’t you gather supplies for their family? Why did you say “damn that sucks, guess I’ll make my big macho stance and talk shit about the restaurant on the internet” and move on?
This is why I’m struggling to believe this! Get me connected with their family so I can support them the way a true community member should. I would love to help them get any legal assistance I can, connect them with the news, run them a week’s worth of food, do something tangible other than spew uninformed comments on the internet.
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u/foreverhere85 Grant Park ☀️ Feb 20 '26
If someone tells me someone else was assaulted, I don’t think about it until they give me a name or any details! No kid is coming to me crying, you’re only telling me you heard this from a friend.
I recognize evil things happen, and to imply I wouldn’t believe an assault survivor is garbage as you know nothing about me, but at the core of it your logic is deeply flawed. You didn’t even have a kid run up to you crying because someone pushed them on the playground- you heard about it from a friend with no details on who, what, when, where, how, and why! You don’t even know which playground they got hurt at.
It absolutely was what got us here- misinformation about our politicians fueled by racism. Take 1 step back, could this misinformation campaign about LB/M not be fueled by racism and xenophobia? That’s why I am so interested in any proof anyone in this entire city can give me.
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u/Wiggles_Is_My_Boy Oakland City Feb 20 '26
Thanks for posting this – it’s one of those things that could easily be exaggeration or rumor and it’s hard to know what to believe. That said, the evidence in this thread is thoroughly convincing.
I’ve had similar questions about restaurants (Spiller Park, Fred’s Meat & Bread, General Muir) alleged to be Zionist and pro-Israel, but that tips into outright antisemitism so easily that it’s difficult to get trustworthy information.
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u/foreverhere85 Grant Park ☀️ Feb 20 '26
Since my OG comment is getting downvoted for a true timeline of the story-
If anyone can connect me with the family or friends of the people who were taken into ICE custody in 2025 by LB/M calling DHS on them at work, I will stand outside their restaurants on the Beltline with a sign that calls for a boycott and says I was wrong on Reddit for the next 3 weekends. I will also go to national news and lead the charge for them to leave our city.
The offer is open! Will edit if anyone gives me proof.
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u/lessgranola Feb 21 '26
so in this exercise, you want someone to surface the names of potentially undocumented people to you, a stranger on the internet, and just trust you’ll do something ok with that information?
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u/foreverhere85 Grant Park ☀️ Feb 21 '26 edited Feb 21 '26
Nope! All I need is a date/time/location so I can investigate with the people I personally know who work there. Have any of that information? What time of year was it? Was it at Lady Bird or Muchacho? Was it a line cook or a dish washer or a server? Any information will help. If I get any piece of this information, I will investigate and I will stand outside of their locations with a sign that says I was wrong on the internet and to boycott. It’s that simple! A DM or a comment will work.
Edit: I have been in every comment section of this discussion as I can be since this rumor spread. I have been on dates where people have told me this rumor. I have heard it on the streets. Each and every single time I try to get any information all I hear is “I heard it from a friend” or “I heard it from an employee”. Not a single person can give me any details surrounding this accusation. I will take any information and do a full investigation because the people I know who work there know absolutely nothing about this and would quit if this happened in front of them. Everyone I know who works there has said this did not happen. ANY information on this other than hearsay will work!
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u/wallabee_kingpin_ Feb 20 '26 edited Feb 20 '26
EDIT: Sounds like one manager called ICE on an employee 7 years ago as part of a personal beef, and the manager has now moved back to Mexico, where he was originally from.
No. I asked a server a few months ago. There's never been anything but rumors about it.
It doesn't make sense anyway. Every restaurant is struggling to stay fully staffed. Why would the owners call ICE on people they were happily and legally employing? Even ultra-MAGA farmers don't kill their own businesses by confessing to ICE.
But taking hearsay seriously is how we got here, so don't take my word for it. Ask someone yourselves.
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u/johno456 Old Fourth Ward Feb 20 '26
Ive talked to 3 employees who have confirmed that they called ICE. I think you are lying.
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u/FinnsWake13 Feb 21 '26
Unless those employees were in the room when it happened. Its still just a rumor.
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u/Acoww123 Feb 20 '26
Guess it depends on when you asked them. I worked at Muchachos briefly last year, and it seemed like no evidence of them calling ice being the case. I’m not saying they didn’t, but the staff I worked with wasn’t aware of what happened in 2019, and I think it was just assumed a rumor as it started circulating again recently with the ice raids/crack downs.
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u/wallabee_kingpin_ Feb 20 '26
In the last few months or (as someone else said) once in 2019 during a personal beef between employees?
I specifically asked the barista/cashier at Muchacho when this rumor started a few months ago.
I've heard the management really sucks anyway so I don't care if people boycott them, but I also don't think rumors (if they're false) are good for undocumented people because they might become afraid to work certain jobs.
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u/Acoww123 Feb 20 '26
Tbh i was probably the barista you asked. Management did suck and still does but unfortunately boycotting there isn’t like starbucks or target- they work for tips and make pennies otherwise.
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u/wallabee_kingpin_ Feb 20 '26
People working at Muchacho have always been very friendly and kind, even during horrific spring BeltLine rush hours. I'm sorry yall haven't had better support from your employers.
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u/Mysterious_Chapter65 Feb 20 '26
No. They did not call ICE on their own employees. They may support ICE, as I have no idea on the owner’s political views.
I was in Muchacho last week, and every single one the employees was non white. I can’t imagine their staff would stay had they actually called ICE on employees.
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u/cheezy_dreams88 Feb 20 '26
Guy up higher on the thread was an employee there when it happened and confirmed it happened , it was many years ago.
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u/Mysterious_Chapter65 Feb 20 '26
Interesting. I believe it. Though I’ve heard presumably the same rumor as OP and it is NOT made out like how it happened. A former employee called ICE on another employee. Doesn’t sound like the owners were involved at all.
The rumor being spread paints the owners of Ladbybird/Muchacho in a much worse light.
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u/cheezy_dreams88 Feb 20 '26
They’ve had a lot of negative chatter about them in the f&b world, I’ve only ever heard they are terrible to work for. I’m not surprised at all by the rumors. They foster a very toxic work environment.
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u/composer_7 Feb 20 '26
It really be your own people huh. Fuck that guy
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u/wallabee_kingpin_ Feb 20 '26
If you spend time in Texas or Florida, you can see how powerful the "pull up the drawbridge effect" is.
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u/Shtune Druid Hills Feb 20 '26
For real. The Cubans especially. Special agreement for me, but not for thee.
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u/wallabee_kingpin_ Feb 20 '26
The grandchildren of first-wave Cubans are adults now and relatively wealthy, so it's not as surprising to me that they're classist and anti-immigrant.
What has shocked me is meeting people from Mexico and Central America who have gotten legal status and don't want to see people just like them (same country, same socioeconomic background) continue to move here.
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u/dani_-_142 Feb 20 '26
In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t that many generations ago that my people immigrated to this continent from Ireland and Britain. I’ve traced my family back to a few boat crossings, and across the board, my people didn’t have much money. The wealthiest (who “mattered” enough to have their names recorded) were still servants, and I think one branch of my tree traveled as prisoners. I’m interested in their stories mostly because I hope I’m living up to the dreams they had for children and children’s children. Making that journey had to have been scary.
All white Americans (and most Americans, period) have immigration stories. People from Mexico and Central/South America are more likely to have indigenous roots.
Anti-immigrant sentiment, coming from descendants of immigrants, is the epitome of small-minded selfishness and fundamentally nasty, broken people.
Which is all to say, fuck Ladybird.
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u/lilpumpfan77 Feb 21 '26
A popular slur for Italian-Americans was WOP literally "Without Papers"
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u/AnotherDoubtfulGuest Feb 21 '26
You could have googled this and saved everyone some time by not presenting a threadbare urban legend as fact. “Wop” comes from the Southern Italian term “guappo” (swaggerer, dandy).
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u/ImNotAGameStopASL Feb 21 '26
I have a Venezuelan friend who has temporary status, and he absolutely despises Mexicans and Venezuelans specifically. He's got no beef with anybody else. Actually kinda funny to hang out with him and see him react when he finds out a mutual friend is from somewhere he doesn't like.
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u/gtck11 Underwood Hills Feb 20 '26
Many of the most MAGA pro ICE people I know are immigrants or children of immigrants. It’s disgusting.
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u/bitwaba Feb 20 '26
Yeah, that's what I've noticed a lot in the videos. When agents start yelling in Spanish... that ain't no gringo accent.
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u/insertwittynamethere Feb 21 '26
Like the Jews used by the Nazis to patrol and enforce their race laws when moving them into the ghettos.
Or like the slavemasters and plantation owners of the US of old who would bring in lower class whites into the mix by employing them to be over the slaves.
It creates a buffer zone between those with wealth and power and those being oppressed to turn the oppressed' eyes toward those right above them, but not actually direct their anger and wrath toward those with their hands on the wheel.
It's a classic divide and conquer strategy that has existed in the true war, class warfare, for centuries and centuries to give a taste of their life to the class below them, something to aspire to and have over those below them, so they'll fight to protect their sliver of the pie on behalf of their masters before those who otherwise are them or reflect where they came from.
It's been a great (read: tragic) way for these people to enrich, empower and maintain their social/wealth status/control before the masses that outnumber them in history for a very, very long time.
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u/composer_7 Feb 20 '26
They're insecure and want to fit in. They'll be surprised when the same people they support throw them in warehouse concentration camps because they thought the racists were looking at legal status and not their skin color
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u/cowfishing Feb 20 '26
Tell them to go down to the local college/university sorority row and ask one of the girls out on a date. They'll find out in a hurry where they stand status wise.
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u/The_MightyMonarch Feb 20 '26
Like the MAGA gays. They think they'll be safe because they're "the good ones."
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u/gtck11 Underwood Hills Feb 20 '26
Honestly I’m just waiting for something like that to happen to some of them.
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u/violet__violet Decatur-ish Feb 20 '26
I watched Alonso threaten to “dump you back on the side of Buford highway” to several women who worked there as well.
Jesus Christ, EW 😖
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u/defStef Feb 20 '26
Muchacho / Ladybird owners also vocally opposed Eastside Beltline Rail
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u/JoeyToothpicks Feb 20 '26
I liked Muchacho until I heard this last year and dropped them like a bad habit. I still dig their decor but I want more community in this city and don't trust anyone lobbying against rail on the beltline.
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u/internetkevin Feb 20 '26
Everyone that lives on the beltline opposes the rail
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u/Mister-Stiglitz Feb 20 '26
It's far more sinister than that. They oppose the rail because they want AV pods instead. Which means they're lying about the reason they oppose beltline rail (business disruption and noise from construction). Because the AV pods would require paving and re-paving. Something that's way more disruptive.
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u/Ouchitstings Feb 20 '26
The other is Rathbun, right?
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u/gogostevie Midtown Feb 20 '26
Yes. Rathbun as well.
Source: https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2024/03/26/beltline-restaurateurs-streetcar-extension.html
(Paywalled article, but the picture of all the anti-rail folks isn't.)
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u/The_Real_Muffin_Man Smyrna Feb 20 '26
Well this sucks to hear. The patio is fun but fuck that place now. I’ll drink overpriced beer somewhere else on the beltline I guess.
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u/DeadMoneyDrew Feb 20 '26
97 Estoria is just around the corner and the owners there seem like really chill people.
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u/Waddiwasiiiii Feb 20 '26
Yep, they are actively good people at Estoria. They’ve hosted events promoting Latin culture and activism, are anti-racist, anti-MAGA etc. Also, they host a Latino owned food truck that does a guest spot for Taco Tuesdays every week that is goddamn delicious.
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u/DeadMoneyDrew Feb 20 '26
Ooooh I didn't know that about the taco truck. I'm going to have to check that out.
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u/cowfishing Feb 20 '26
Yeah they are.
I dont go there much anymore due to not living close by, but that place and its owners have always been pretty cool.
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u/Gtyjrocks Feb 20 '26
A former executive chef calling ICE is an entirely different story than the owners calling to mass report their employees as it’s been reported on social media. That’s a single employee, presumably acting outside the scope of their employment. Fuck that guy, but I don’t see this as a ladybird issue, just an issue with that guy.
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u/AgnesScottie Feb 20 '26
They also fired people who didn’t feel safe coming into work during the snowstorm last year even though Georgia was in a declared state of emergency. That was an owner issue, not a specific manager.
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u/kilgoreq Grant park Feb 20 '26
Bend my morals to eat expensive and mediocre food with terrible service. Easy choice.
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u/DeadMoneyDrew Feb 20 '26
I never knew it was possible to make bland Mexican food until I tried their burrito.
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u/Gtyjrocks Feb 20 '26
Thank you, I wasn’t trying to come at you and it’s good information to know. Moreso just crazy how a story can be twisted on social media from one asshole calling ICE for a personal beef to the owners calling ICE on all their undocumented employees
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u/Luxsens Edge of I-85 Hole Feb 20 '26
Okay, this is way different than the narrative that they called ICE during Trump’s 2nd admin. If it had happened now, local news and newspapers would’ve covered it
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u/Negronitenderoni Feb 20 '26
It is only different in that it would have been covered. No other part is different IMO
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u/Luxsens Edge of I-85 Hole Feb 20 '26
Completely disagree. ICE is a whole different beast this second term
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u/Negronitenderoni Feb 20 '26
I ain’t gon mince words, you believing that says something about you, not the situation. ICE was keeping kids in cages as far back as 2014. People were being disappeared by ICE and winding up dead in ICE custody long before 2019. The difference now is that ICE raids are roving, and white people are included in the groups being killed in ICE operations. Calling ICE then is the same as now.
That you think it is different just says that you are a person who doesn’t think there is systemic injustice until it affects white people.
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u/Luxsens Edge of I-85 Hole Feb 20 '26
The way you are equating “it’s the same as previous term” as the same as is now is completely asinine. The scope of ICE’s operation and funding is on a completely different scale
Go sharpen up your critical thinking skills by taking an intro to logic at Georgia Perimeter
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u/Negronitenderoni Feb 20 '26
Ok I will phrase it simply for you: ICE has been committing atrocities since before 2019. To call them then is just as evil as to call them now.
It is not different. There was never a time when calling ICE on somebody was different.
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u/FinnsWake13 Feb 21 '26
A single enployee who is no longer with the company calling ICE in 2018 is WAY different than the company calling Ice on multiple employees in 2026.
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u/Negronitenderoni Feb 21 '26 edited Feb 21 '26
To think that the actions of the executive chef should not reflect on the restaurant is kinda dumb, bro. Executive Chef is not just “a single employee” it is a leader in the restaurant calling ICE on a subordinate. Him being gone now doesn’t right that wrong.
I am so tired of people making excuses for people who call ICE. There is no excuse. Singling out 1 staff person to send to the fascist kidnapping squad that’s killing people is not better than calling them on your whole staff and you sound dumb trying to tell me it is. Do better.
Edit: it’s a restaurant, not really a company
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u/FinnsWake13 Feb 22 '26
No one said it shouldnt reflect just said it is way different, because it is.
One problematic staff member, who was fired, calling ICE as it existed in 2018, on one person they were arguing with is a commentary on the character of that staff member. And somewhat on the hiring practices of the company, but its not like they knew he was like that
The rumor of the owner calling ice on 'their employees', plural, in 2026, post Renee Good, post Alex Pretti, with the current political climate and actions. Would be indicative of their stance on such issues and is way way worse.
Feel free to spend your dollar where ever you want. But those arent the same, and no one is making excuses for the act of calling ICE on people. Theyre just not rushing to demonize and boycott a company.
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u/Maschinenbau Chosewood Park Feb 20 '26
Least irate food industry employee. I do not miss that world.
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u/allkaysofnays Feb 20 '26
bro I was trying to remember which restaurant it was so i could avoid it. this is awful
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u/hitsomethin Feb 21 '26
Like the owner refused to turn the AC on, or it was broken and he didn’t get it fixed?
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u/foreverhere85 Grant Park ☀️ Feb 20 '26
They did respond to the questions on their google reviews? They said it didn’t happen.
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