B.C. Premier John Horgan says he was "very disappointed" to hear about a recent incident that took place at Mr. Mikes Steakhouse Casual in Langford, in which restaurant staff were subjected to verbal abuse from a group of customers.

In a now-deleted Facebook post, Mr. Mikes described how a large group of customers drove staff to "the point of tears" after being asked to separate into groups of six, in accordance with public health protocols.

"We love our guests, our staff, and our community," Mr. Mikes said in the statement on Wednesday.

"If you cannot be compassionate or understanding to this new way the hospitality industry is operating at a time like this, please stay home."

For listeners wondering about Premier John Horgan’s criticism of the “idiots” at Mr. Mikes during our live coverage today, here’s a statement from the restaurant, which is in his riding. #COVID__19 pic.twitter.com/m0dZvhB8Sz

— Mike Smyth (@MikeSmythNews) August 6, 2020

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Horgan expressed his sympathy for Mr. Mikes by condemning the group of anonymous restaurant patrons.

"Certainly that's not how I raised my kids, and I think most people across British Columbia are horrified when they hear stories like the story coming out of Mr. Mikes," Horgan said.

"To have idiots come in and be idiots, quite frankly, is not acceptable."

We are at Mr Mikes for dinner and behaving @jjhorgan :-) pic.twitter.com/mbpwrZHzOm

— Bob Chamberlin (@1Bob_Chamberlin) August 7, 2020

Horgan urged British Columbians to be kinder to one another, and to treat their fellow residents with the same respect that they would want to receive in turn.