A ‘Top Chef’ Alum Is Printing Pro-Immigrant Messages on His Receipts to Fight Trump’s Travel Ban

A former contestant on Top Chef is getting a lot of buzz thanks to a message he is printing on his receipts in response to President Trump’s travel ban.

Mark Simmons has a simple phrase of “Immigrants make America great (they also cooked your food and served you today),” printed on the bottom of the receipts at his restaurant, Kiwiana, in Brooklyn, New York. Simmons is an immigrant himself, moving from New Zealand to the United States.

“I added that message to the bottom of the receipts recently, to remind ourselves [and] our customers that immigrants are quite often the backbone of the hospitality industry,” Simmons told DNAinfo in an email. “I normally add little notes at the end of the receipt, though rarely are they political. We are happy people are noticing. Overall the feedback has been positive.”

Breakfast in Brooklyn pic.twitter.com/JHEtfJhqPO

— Militia Etheridge (@MaryEmilyOHara) February 5, 2017

Journalist Mary Emily O’Hara spotted the small message after she visited the restaurant for brunch. O’Hara then tweeted out a picture of the receipt where it quickly went viral.

“We were just looking for a place that wouldn’t have a long wait, and gave it a shot,” O’Hara told CNN. “When the check came I was surprised to see the statement at the bottom.”

In Simmons’ kitchen, there are chefs from five different countries.

“We got people from around the world,” Kelvin Pichardo, an employee at Kiwiana, told Fox. “We don’t have a special race here.”

While Mark Simmons has been praised for his kind message, he is getting a bit of backlash for the prices on his menu. However, O’Hara was quick to clear that up on Twitter.

for everyone freaking out about the prices, it's mostly bc alcohol. The portions are good, sides come with. Normal for NYC.

— Militia Etheridge (@MaryEmilyOHara) February 5, 2017

Who are these people who think $13 for a brunch plate is insane? Where do you live and how much rent do you pay? And can I move in?

— Militia Etheridge (@MaryEmilyOHara) February 6, 2017