(The Hill) — Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., and her husband announced on Thursday that their gun-themed restaurant, Shooters Grill, is closing.
The two said in a statement posted on Twitter that their landlord had decided not to renew their lease, claiming the move had “no political motivation” but was “purely a business decision.”
“There is a time and season for everything, and God has called us to focus our time and energy elsewhere. While Shooters Grill is closed, stay tuned. The Shooters brand isn’t going away. There are exciting things in the works,” reads the statement, attributed to both Jayson and Lauren Boebert. “Many with a political agenda will try to spin this happy transition into something it’s not. Rest assured we will not allow them to steal our joy for all that this restaurant has meant for our family.”
Established in 2013 in Rifle, Colorado, the restaurant served mostly American fare, according to menus included on Shooters Grill’s Facebook page. Servers were allowed to carry their own firearms, with many carrying semi-automatics, according to Boebert, who spoke to the Post Independent.
Employees inquired if they could carry firearms after a man was erroneously thought to have been beaten to death in front of Shooters Grill, serving as the impetus for the restaurant’s theme, according to the Post Independent. The man had actually died of a drug overdose.
A server at Shooters Grill in Rifle, Colorado, can be seen carrying a gun on her hip in April 2018. Customers were also welcome to carry firearms into the restaurant. (Emily Kask/AFP via Getty Images) 
Shooters Grill, a restaurant owned by Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and her husband, has closed after the landlord decided not to renew their lease. (Emily Kask/AFP via Getty Images) 
A signature stamped burger at Shooters Grill in Rifle, Colorado, on April 24, 2018. (Emily Kask/AFP via Getty Images)
Milken Enterprises, the landlord for Boebert’s restaurant, notified her last month about the decision not to have the lease renewed, the news outlet said. She and her husband are hoping to set up shop again on Third Street in Rifle.
Boebert, the U.S. Representative for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, was sworn in Jan. 3, 2021. Gaining a reputation as a far-right conservative, Boebert has drawn criticism for her views on COVID-19 mitigation efforts, guns, her opposition to the separation of church and state, and for referring to fellow Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., as a member of “the Jihad squad” during a speech on the House floor in Nov. 2021.
