this. The protesters were vastly outnumbered by diners when I drove by the one in Hollywood, and if that was true in HOLLYWOOD, Torrence, which is much more conservative, would have had to have been the same. The revenge was because they couldn't muster numbers to demonstrate personal outrage of a CEO who doesn't even own the franchise, having personal opinions they disagree with.
People can boycott, people can protest (if they don't harrass) and people can attend in droves. But mayors forbidding permits based on the religious or political beliefs of the owner, and vandalism, are the evils here.
You know what this reminds me of? When people didn't want a permit given to that community center with a Muslim community room in the old Brookfield coat factory several blocks from where the twin towers were attacked. That was sort of in your face, imho, given the guy behind it, but even so, that is not the proper role of the state.