The problem, from the perspective of both Rivas’ owners and customers, is that it looks like an endorsement from the restaurant.
With the photo, Sanchez claimed he has been a patron of the restaurant for many years.
“Always enjoy stopping at Rivas for a quick dinner,” Sanchez wrote. “Michael Sibouyeh, the owner who, along with his brother Joseph, has operated restaurants in the Houston area for nearly five decades.”
Greg Jeu, the publisher and editor-in-chief of Houston’s OutSmart magazine, called out Sanchez on Facebook for his post on Saturday, claiming it was grossly misleading. Jeu also said he spoke with Michael Sibouyeh, who said he was “disturbed” and “upset” by the post.
“Rivas welcomes and supports the trans community, runs holiday food drives for AIDS organizations, and gives to LGBTQ+ causes year after year,” Jeu wrote. “They show up for us, and that stands in direct contrast to the Republican agenda.”
Rivas has been around for roughly half a century, and the Sibouyehs moved the restaurant to Montrose in 1996. Apart from its LGBTQ+ allyship and Mediterranean-Italian menu, the restaurant has also become a winter destination for its quirky Christmas decorations.
Both Rivas and the Sanchez campaign have yet to respond to Chron’s request for comment.
It’s not the first time Sanchez has run into trouble with photos like this, as Jeu noted. A photograph of Sanchez and Houston civil rights activist Johnny Mata made the rounds with the campaign, indicating the latter had endorsed the former.
Except he didn’t. Mata told Chron he never endorsed Sanchez, despite his campaign team saying the opposite. The photo is still up on social media.
Dining and Cooking