HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida restaurant is getting plenty of publicity, for better or worse, because of a sign informing patrons that "face diapers" are not required to eat there.
BeckyJack's Food Shack near Weeki Wachee Springs State Park shared a Valentine's Day post on its Facebook page of a sign posted outside the restaurant. It reads: "Face diapers not required! Everyone welcome."
The post quickly went viral, racking up hundreds of shares and more than 3,400 comments as of Thursday afternoon.
Howdy Folks! Happy Valentine's Day 💗 A friendly reminder that we DO NOT require Face Masks. We're open from 12 -8 today. ~The Shack Family
Posted by BeckyJack's Food Shack on Sunday, February 14, 2021
Jesse Fox, who owns the restaurant, told Tampa NBC affiliate WFLA that the post was simply to let customers know that masks aren't required. He said some people "were surprised that we weren't wearing masks."
"We're getting a ton of feedback from it, both positive and negative," he said.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has resisted issuing a statewide mask mandate, instead leaving it up to individual counties and municipalities.
Although several counties in the Tampa Bay area have a mask requirement, Hernando County, where BeckyJack's Food Shack is located, does not.
"I don't feel like I am going against the grain," Fox said. "I feel like I'm using common sense."