OP-ED: What Really Happened at Don Pico's - Part 2 of 2 Parts

OP-ED – This is a 2 part article.

Link to part 1 is listed at the bottom of this part 2.

What Really Happened at Don Pico’s

by Lucy Bedolla Mejia

PERSONAL ATTACKS

Then there were the nasty Yelp reviews that were personal attacks on me, obviously fake reviews – so obvious that Yelp removed them. There was a duplicate Facebook page created by some haters, which we had to work to get removed. Some people wanted me to fail, spurred on by rumors that I fired my sisters-in-law. The rumors spread, some people called for a “boycott,” and people began to attack me personally. My house and cars were egged.

Right after Florencia and Anabel quit, one of Isaac’s “friends” came in drunk into the bar, and yelled at one of my husband’s best friends for supporting me, calling me every nasty word, cursing at me. He drove off in his white truck, he and his wife, both drunk, cursing at me as they drove away, right before the police came.

While I was at home planning the memorial service with my friends a few days after Isaac died, Florencia had a gathering at Don Pico’s and allowed her guests to drink at the bar for free – I had to call my father-in-law to ask him to shut it down. At that party, she took paintings from the restaurant that were hanging there when Isaac died and later claimed he had given them to her. Florencia’s ex-boyfriend took a wooden sculptured hand from the restaurant and claimed it was his. They also took an old orange wooden jaguar that had been the “mascot” of the restaurant. I reported these thefts to the police, who said I could press civil charges. I declined to do so.

In October of 2015, I was verbally assaulted in San Bruno Park by someone whom I believe is a friend of my sisters-in-law. It so happened we were leaving an event at the same time, the Taste of San Bruno. She was walking with someone and as I smiled at her, she said to me: “You have some nerve showing your face in San Bruno!” I said, “Umm, I live here? Who are you?” I suddenly remembered her name. She said, “Oh, you’re really clueless, aren’t you?” I said, “Well, I guess I am,” and as I kept walking, she yelled to me, “You better watch your back!”

As recently as a few weeks ago, we started a Facebook video ad campaign for Don Pico’s, and someone wrote in a comment something like, “I’m never going back there after what she did to the sisters. Money does funny things to people.” Indeed. Except it’s not what people think – it’s the other way around. It took me a long time to forgive my sisters-in-law for what they did to me, something I thought I would never do. I recognize that perhaps they may regret their actions in hindsight, but I am not waiting for an apology, nor do I expect one.

These are just some of the incidents that occurred. I could go on.

WHY WAIT SO LONG TO RESPOND?

So why did I choose to wait three and one-half years to respond to the San Bruno Patch Open Letter written by the “Mejia Sisters”? It is because I was so hurt and angry and bewildered that I could not respond at that time. I could not give any energy to addressing the lies, mostly because I was focused on the task of putting my life back together, picking myself up and showing up every day, for the sake of my 12-year-old daughter, who needed her mother more than ever.

And it took all my energy to be present for her. I suffered from depression and became reclusive. I stopped exercising and gained weight. I was so sad, hurt, and lonely. I felt abandoned by my husband’s family – people who had said they loved me. I didn’t expect to ever have to run a restaurant, and I didn’t know the first thing about it. At the time that I needed them the most, they gave me no support, no guidance - not even from my in-laws, both good people whom I love dearly, but who could not take sides against their daughters. Three and a half years ago, I could not have given a measured response. I wanted to lash out, and I knew that would be wrong. I haven’t spoken to my husband’s sisters since 2012. My daughter wants nothing to do with them, ever.

I also thought, perhaps naïvely, that everything would blow over. That I would soon have some semblance of normalcy, that I could create a good life for my daughter and myself out of the restaurant that my husband had worked so hard to build up. But the rumors and attacks persisted. And they have persisted to this day.

SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT

My goal in writing this is to set the record straight once and for all. I want the community to know the truth about what the “Mejia Sisters” did to me – the widow of their brother. Moreover, despite the ample opportunity that they’ve had in the past three and a half years to tell the whole truth – about the insurance money Florencia received, the contract they tried to force me to sign under duress, and the money they tried to extort from me, they have not done so.

I want the personal attacks and the false rumors to stop. I want a chance to conduct business in peace. For me, speaking the truth is an important step as I continue the process of healing from the death of my beloved husband.

DON PICO’S TODAY

I have taken great care of Don Pico’s and it is now a beautiful restaurant and sports bar. I have kept it open, not only to provide for my daughter and me, but also as a way to honor Isaac and keep his memory alive for the community that he loved and that loved him right back. And although we have missteps here and there, overall Don Pico’s has gotten good reviews on all the major sites these past three and a half years. In fact, Don Pico’s was a Yelp favorite in 2013, won the first San Bruno Chamber of Commerce Restaurant of the Year Award in 2014, and received a 2015 Trip Advisor Award of Excellence.

We have a new state-of-the-art point-of-sale system, and have implemented online ordering for pick up or delivery, with free delivery in San Bruno. We have a nice outdoor heated garden patio, which our guests love. We have improved the quality of our entertainment and sound system, including five flat screen HD TVs in the sports bar. We have our own mobile app, a new catering and delivery van, and we serve breakfast all day. Our wait staff is professionally trained and our food is better than ever. And the thing that I am most proud of is the new logo I designed for the restaurant, which bears the smiling face of “Don Pico” himself, my husband Isaac.

While I know Don Pico’s is never going to be the same without Isaac, his spirit is still with us, and his love of great food and community have always inspired my decisions. I know that Isaac is very proud of me. I welcome everyone to come to Don Pico’s, whether it’s been four days or four years since you’ve been, or whether you’ve never been there at all. It is a wonderful place.

And to all those people who have continued to come to Don Pico’s since I took over in October of 2012, to those who always believed in me, to my managers and staff, my wonderful friends and family, and especially my amazing daughter Frannie, now 16 years old, thank you for your unwavering support, from the bottom of my heart.

LINK to part 1 of this 2 part article: link

Lucy Bedolla Mejia, Owner

Don Pico’s Mexican Bistro & Cevicheria

461 El Camino Real, San Bruno, CA 94066

(650) 589-1163; donpicosbistro.com