Popular Southern California restaurant chain Buona Forchetta closed all locations until Tuesday in the wake of its flagship location in San Diego’s South Park and was attacked by federal immigration officials.
The restaurant owner said on Instagram that the decision was made to announce the closure of all seven locations in San Diego and Orange County, giving employees time to rest and deal with incidents that led to at least two arrests.
“I wish we could find stronger words, but the truth is that we are heartbroken. The traumatic incidents, including federal enforcement operations at our former beloved South Park location, left us all a mark,” the statement read.
Other locations in the chain are at Liberty Station (San Diego), Coronado, Encinitas, San Marcos, San Clemente and Newport Beach.
“We showed up with smiles throughout the weekend. That’s who we are. That’s what we know, so we served our guests with love. But behind those smiles we were carrying heavy things,” the statement continued. “We’re coming back soon, but for now we’re bringing people closer and leaning against the love you gave so generously.”
The restaurant is scheduled to resume normal operations on Wednesday.
The chaotic attack unfolded as the restaurant was preparing to open on Friday. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrived outside the restaurant around 4pm and issued a warrant. Details of this remain unknown at this time.
South Park community members gather outside Buona Forchetta after DHS officials stormed the restaurant on May 30, 2025. (FOX 5/KUSI)
More than a dozen workers, including General Manager Renato Ametrano, were detained by armed masked agents in Tactical Gear. Most were released later, but at least two were taken to ice custody.
According to Ametrano, all staff at Buona Forchetta have the right documents to live and work in the United States
This management led to other members of the community taking us to the restaurant. The restaurant surrounded the ice carriage and tried to stop them from leaving the area. Flash bangs were used in points to try to disperse the crowd.
Pomonas Park’s concerns, federal attacks and arrests in anger towards the community
ICE officials have not released any additional information regarding the attack, but said the investigation is still ongoing.
Nevertheless, the dramatic incident, which was widely shared on social media, elicited quick criticism from local leaders and residents.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said in a statement Saturday that she was “deeply upset” by the operation, raising many concerns about how it unfolded with the leaders of the Homeland Security investigation that morning.
“Those federal actions have been billed as public safety measures, but they had the effect of being completely against them,” the statement read. “What we see undermines trust and creates fear in our community.”
San Diego City Councilman Sean Elo Rivera issued a similar responsibilities for the incident, and in an Instagram post he candidly stated “state sponsored terrorism.”
“This is not a war zone. It’s a neighborhood in our city,” he said. “These are federal agents who raided the wrong act of ‘safety’. ”
President Trump’s vice-Chief of Staff Stephen Miller responded to Ero Rivera’s words and threw back a warning in another post on X, previously on Twitter.
“We live in an age of left-wing domestic terrorism,” he said. “They support the American aggression and openly encourage violence against law enforcement because they bet.”
Before the attack, Miller, alongside Homeland Security’s Department of Cristy Noem, demanded that immigration agents increase arrests to 3,000 people per day, nearly tripling the number of daily arrests made in the first months of Trump’s second term, as reported by Axios.
DHS officials also flagged San Diego as a “sanctuary city” along with more than 500 other jurisdictions that have pledged to scrutinise for alleged obstruction of “immigration law enforcement.”
As for Buona Forchetta, the restaurant owner said on Saturday that they are working with lawyers to find employees who have been detained and helping their families.
The South Park Business Group also has fundraising to help detainees, providing legal costs, loss of wages and assistance with family living expenses. As of Monday, more than $71,000 had been collected, with fundraising targets above $60,000.
