The Bodges have run their ice cream parlor and restaurant mask-free since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last week, they told the state they would rather close than put on the mask.
“We have decided to close and make a stand,” said Joseph Bodge, 51, whose family has run Rosselyn Homemade Ice Cream on Exeter Road in Epping for 14 years. He said he received a call from the state attorney general’s office last week about a complaint alleging Rosselyn’s staff was operating without masks. The governor’s order states restaurant staff must wear masks when dealing directly with customers.
Bodge said he was told someone would visit in the next week to see if they were following the governor’s order. If not, he said he was told his food license would be pulled.
“We decided to basically beat them to the punch because we weren’t willing to bow down,” said Bodge, who closed the diner Sunday. He said the remaining ice cream will be sold by a single employee at the shop who will wear a mask until it’s gone. He has put the message “What happened to Live Free or Die” on the restaurant’s sign overlooking Route 27 near the Brentwood line town line.
To read the full story, go to www.seacoastonline.com.