--- description: Geoffrey Zakarian is the latest to sever ties over the 2016 hopeful's comments on immigration title: Another Chef Backs Out of Restaurant Deal With Trump image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt45754dea88bf1eb0/69885a64524fc056e4df381b/geoffrey-zakarian.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Food & Drink](/tag/food-drink/) ## Food & Drink Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Another Chef Backs Out of Restaurant Deal With Trump by [Sarah Begley](/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 10, 2015 1:53 PM CUT  Geoffrey Zakarian speaks on stage during the City Harvest's 21st Annual Gala - An Evening Of Practical Magic at Cipriani 42nd Street on April 30, 2015 in New York City. Geoffrey Zakarian speaks on stage during the City Harvest's 21st Annual Gala - An Evening Of Practical Magic at Cipriani 42nd Street on April 30, 2015 in New York City.Andrew H. Walker—Getty Images by [Sarah Begley](/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 10, 2015 1:53 PM CUT The impact of Donald Trump’s comments on immigration continues to ripple through his businesses, as chef [Geoffrey Zakarian becomes the latest to sever ties](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/10/dining/donald-trump-dc-hotel-project-loses-geoffrey-zakarian.html "undefined") with the 2016 presidential hopeful. Zakarian had planned to open a Washington, D.C. outpost of his Manhattan restaurant The National in a Trump hotel in the Old Post Office Pavilion in 2016\. But Zakarian decided he no longer wanted to associate himself with the mogul, saying, “the recent statements surrounding Mexican immigrants by Donald Trump do not in any way align with my personal core values.” Earlier this week, chef José Andrés also backed out of plans to open a restaurant in the D.C. hotel, saying, “Donald Trump’s recent statements disparaging immigrants make it impossible for my company and I to move forward,” according to [a statement he released](http://time.com/3949983/trump-hotel-restaurant/ "undefined"). “More than half of my team is Hispanic, as are many of our guests. And, as a proud Spanish immigrant and recently naturalized American citizen myself, I believe that every human being deserves respect, regardless of immigration status.” Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., responded that Andrés “has no right to terminate or otherwise abandon his obligations under the lease,” and said the company would take legal action against the chef if he backed out. Trump has found his allies dwindling in the wake of his comments on undocumented Mexican immigrants. “They’re bringing drugs,” he said during his speech last month announcing his presidential campaign. “They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.” Zakarian, whose ancestors come from Poland and Armenia, [according to the New York _Times_](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/10/dining/donald-trump-dc-hotel-project-loses-geoffrey-zakarian.html "undefined"), noted in his statement that his company, Zakarian Hospitality, “employs many immigrants from nations all over the world, and I look forward to continuing this business culture in my future restaurants. We are a nation built from immigrants, my family included.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3952709/donald-trump-chefs-deals/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3952709/donald-trump-chefs-deals/"},"headline":"Another Chef Backs Out of Restaurant Deal With Trump","datePublished":"2015-07-10T13:53:41.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T09:08:17.721Z","description":"Geoffrey Zakarian is the latest to sever ties over the 2016 hopeful's comments on immigration","url":"https://time.com/3952709/donald-trump-chefs-deals/","keywords":["Food & Drink","Chefs","Donald Trump"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt45754dea88bf1eb0/69885a64524fc056e4df381b/geoffrey-zakarian.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sarah Begley","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt45754dea88bf1eb0/69885a64524fc056e4df381b/geoffrey-zakarian.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"City Harvest's 21st Annual Gala - An Evening Of Practical Magic","caption":"City Harvest's 21st Annual Gala - An Evening Of Practical Magic","creditText":"Andrew H. 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