UPDATE: Katy Tillotson, wife of Redfield’s owner Joe Tillotson, has told Dallas Voice via Facebook messenger that the restaurant’s owners have been advised not to speak to us “due to everything that was published initially by the Voice without us having the chance to respond and honestly not much interest in hearing what we have to say.” She said only that Redfield’s Tavern “operations are suspended at this time for the safety of our employees who immediately began receiving threatening phone calls the first night resulting in us closing early and not resuming operations since that time,” and that “We’re not sure what are plans are at this time.”
(Dallas Voice did attempt to contact Redfield’s management for comment prior to posting any story, and we printed their response verbatim when they sent it to us.)
Ms. Tillotson also noted that her and her husband’s home address has been shared online numerous times since Wednesday evening, and especially considering that they have six children, they are understandably concerned for their family’s safety.
Seriously people, harassing these folks and their children at their home is out of line. Stop with the doxxing.
UPDATE: Dallas Voice has been told by different sources within the last hour that the owners of Redfield’s have sold the business and the new owners will be re-opening under a new name and with new branding.
Over the last 24 to 36 hours, Dallas Voice has heard unconfirmed rumors from several different sources that, following the release on Oct. 21 of an audio recording in which Redfield’s Tavern owners Joe Tillotson and Scott Cecil told former general manner Lindsay not to hire gay staff, investors were pulling out of the relatively new restaurant and bar on Butler Street in the Medical District. Rumors also suggested that the landlord of the property was exercising his option to cancel the lease.
We had not reported these rumors because they are, at this point, just that — rumors, unverified rumors.
But these photos, provided to Dallas Voice today (Saturday, Oct. 24) by Jonathan Chitty and John Vance, seem to back up at least some of the rumors. The photos show workman painting over the Redfield’s name and logos on the exterior of the building. And another photo appears to show someone changing the locks on the front door.
We have reached out to Katy Tillotson for comment, and we will update with information as it becomes available.
— Tammye Nash
Ha.
Good. They don’t deserve to be business owners. Bigotry is disgusting. Trash.
These people who believe they can express their bigotry and hatred towards the LGBTQ+ community and then be surprised by our reaction need to take note. We will not be taken for granted or marginalized.
Do some research to validate what people tell you, maybe, all of this is public record. The operator on the liquor license also owns the real estate. Its in DCAD just like every property in dallas county. Liquor licenses are searchable too, as are registered corporations bc democracy and open govt.
If you are going to tackle a story with so much on the line at least make an attempt to uncover and present all the facts. If you had done that before publishing the audio, you could have kept this from impacting other innocent businesses/employees from the beginning.
I have no axe to grind with Mrs Tillerson but her husband voluntarily listed their home address on all of these records. That is a business 101 level error. Why anyone would do anything with that information is beyond me, but it never should have been possible to find it if he used a po box. Whatever else may be true, threatening personal safety is always counterproductive.
Yeah but she loved to run down her gay employees abd treat them like shit.
The dark queen/Mrs Tillerson is an issue in and of herself. Has quite a history.
You all are horribly mistaken and disgusting. This is a family that I have known for 23 years. Lindsay Schmidt showed up at the other establishment that you people have claimed to be the same owners. Hunkered down at the bar with her boyfriend taking shots of whiskey and beer for a discount. Somehow she had no issue days after she quit in defense of the Dallas Gay community. I guess she wasn’t too upset to have cocktails I can assure you she is the bad person here and you are all supporting someone who I can assure you did this for her own fun and not because she wanted to make a statement and stand up for the gay community. This is the most selfish person I have met this has nothing to do with any of you.
The ends justify the means
Your constant use of the word assure is not too assuring…
Is Katy the one that used a homophobic slur not knowing the bartender she was speaking to was gay, as referenced on the tape? And did they misspell her name (Karen).
No. That was not Katy that was Scott’s wife Amanda. See how assumptions ruin lives?
Hence, the question , reading comprehension much?
Well Lindsay is the one that hasn’t showered in weeks a busted nose and even classier, rug burn on her forehead.
Let’s put it in context, if you take that recording, and replace “gay” and “LGBTQ” and “homesexuals” with “black” and “hispanic”, then they would be run out of town on a rail…..i think its disgusting that they can’t even own up to it, and apologize. Everybody makes mistakes, everybody has stuck their foot in their mouth at one point in time in their lives. But to insult our intelligence with an audacious lack of integrity is beyond reproach. I pity their 6 children, being raised with that example of lack of fortitude in character.
Dahlia on Ross is hiring.
Get fucked, there’s no room for bigotry here
Grow up gay people! Scaring the (former) owners to the point they’re fleeing and lying about events is a cheap temporary win that doesn’t move the line forward. We had red hot iron and didn’t strike right. Local LGBT reps should have got with them close and personal with a plan to save their business asking only for a few very public quid pro quos. Result: a new gay bar with newly (forced) open-minded owners and perhaps a few investors in tow.
I’m glad they are closed. I got CoViD from their establishment. They weren’t enforcing mask guidelines and social distancing. I know at least two people who caught CoVid from Redfield’s. And I was infected by one of those two. I call 311 to report them and the city did nothing but open and close the complaint digitally without even a cursory investigation.
If you are so bad at running a business that you can’t appreciate customers coming despite a pandemic—that you helped further—then you probably shouldn’t be in business.
Capitalism works. But when you bite the hand that feeds you you shouldn’t be surprised to get bit back.
Also she is lying about operations being suspended because of threatening phone calls. The employees walked out in protest of the owner’s treatment of LGBT people. The staff quit.
Sadly, left radical liberals are trying to cancel these hardworking Americans. Their fear of the bar becoming a “gay bar’ is an issue, we have all seen that the strip’s gay bars have turned into when BLM crowd becomes the majority of customers.
I’m just waiting until they can finally pin a ton of anti-LGBT attitude on Katy Trail Icehouse.
I’ve heard and seen some seriously disgusting stuff happen there in regards to how the gay community is treated by staff and management.
Let’s just say the rules are different for straight customers.