“I just thought it was appalling,” Flaherty said. “I am hoping that it wasn’t a village resident that made those comments because we are better than that.”

Although the business itself is technically just outside of the village limits, both its name and its proximity to the village make Shur Fine a popular spot for residents of the village.

“We need businesses like that in our village or near our village,” Cruver said. She added that the Village Board “certainly” supports Shur Fine.

“It would be my hope that the majority of the people who live in this village do not hold the same views of diversity,” Cruver said.

OBSERVER File Photo Cassadaga Shur Fine announced it is discontinuing its Indian buffet following “hurtful and racist remarks.”

The Village Board typically avoids commenting on social media posts or news articles, but in this case, Cruver and Flaherty felt they needed to make an exception.

“Obviously, our friends that own Shur Fine felt like they were being targeted. I don’t think that anybody in this village or on this board would support that,” Cruver said.

An OBSERVER article ran less than a week prior to the Board’s comments. The article cited a Facebook post from Cassadaga Shur Fine, stating, “Some have called our food ‘nasty’ or worse, and one person even told us, ‘Why are you doing Indian food here? We are Americans — we don’t want to eat Indian food. It smells bad and all.'”

Employees also felt targeted by racist remarks. The post continued, “Hearing things like this is disheartening and goes against the spirit of food, which should bring people together.”

Chautauqua County Sheriff Jim Quattrone stood up for the owners and urged them to reconsider their decision to discontinue the buffet. He stated, “My only complaint is I didn’t realize you had the buffet as I would have loved to stop for it. If you change your mind and start it again please yell from the roof tops — I’d stand first in line but that might be too much competition.”

The owners also thanked those who supported their Indian cuisine, stating, “Thank you to those who shared kindness and appreciation. You made our efforts worthwhile.”

The owners also offered to prepare dishes as a special order with a day’s notice. Orders can be made at 716-595-3232.

In addition, a group of community residents has discussed through email ordering the Indian buffet from the store at a date to be determined later.