City councillor apologizes to beloved White Rock fish and chip restaurant

A White Rock city councillor has apologized after he made “disrespectful” comments about a beloved fish and chip restaurant in the city.

The comment was made earlier this month on a post from Moby Dick Restaurant, and the owner wasted no time clapping back.

Under a photo captioned “Who Knows This Place! Famous Fish N Chips… So Good,” White Rock City Councillor David Chesney commented, “Living off its reputation for decades.

“When Peter Mueller (Moby Dick founder) left, so did the #1 rating. Go next food to Coney Island…..where all the local eat.”

The restaurant shared a screengrab of the comment and called for an investigation into ethical misconduct. Interview requests to Chesney from Daily Hive went unanswered.

However, about two weeks after the drama rocked the seaside community, Chesney took a step back.

David Chesney shared an apology on his Facebook page on Monday.

“I have since reflected on this and removed the comment. I now recognize and acknowledge that my comment was factually inaccurate and disrespectful,” the letter to Moby Dick Restaurant owner Yuriy Makogonsky reads in part.

He added, “I sincerely apologize to the Moby Dick Restaurant and its owner Yuriy Makogonsky and regret if my comments in any way jeopardized the reputation of the business or the wellbeing of his family and employees.”

It’s unclear if Makogonsky will still be taking his complaints to the council; we will bring you the latest on that if that happens.

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With files from Nikitha Martins