Andrea Bennett, co-owner of Annie’s Café in Bountiful, is determined to keep her restaurant open despite threatening phone calls from someone posing as a police officer connected with immigration.
“Some employees have been afraid to come to work,” said Bennett.
Bennett described some of the threats from the caller, including threats to break windows and doors if necessary to drag every “Latino” from the kitchen.
“He said, ‘I will destroy your restaurant if I have to,’” Bennett reported.
The first call happened on June 21, to the front of the restaurant. The caller demanded Bennett identify herself, which made her uncomfortable.
“Then he said he was coming to get someone named Jose,” said Bennett. “We don’t have anyone named Jose on our staff.”
“He said he worked for Davis County, for the local police and was a detective connected to immigration,” said Bennett. “None of that turned out to be true.”
“He wouldn’t identify himself,” Bennett stated. “He accused me of obstructing his investigation, but I know my rights.”
When Bennett refused to cooperate and divulge information about her staff, the caller hung up.
The second call came the following Monday, June 23. This time, the caller said his name was Brian Jones and provided a badge number.
Bennett reported both calls to the Bountiful police. According to Bennett, Officer Clark responded. Bennett said the officer was unable to trace anyone with that name and badge number to local law enforcement agencies.
It is a felony in Utah to impersonate a peace officer to make someone comply. Bennett said the police recommended taping all calls, and now the restaurant often responds to messages rather than answering phones in person.
At the time of writing, no more harassing calls have been reported.
In recent years, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has documented several instances of scammers impersonating special agents. In a 2024 press release, HSI wrote that its agents will not attempt to arrest someone over the phone, nor will they call and demand account information or payment to avoid an impending law enforcement action.
“Don’t be intimidated into compliance,” said HSI Kansas City acting Special Agent in Charge Taekuk Cho, in 2023. “HSI will not call you and ask for personal identifying information or demand money, so don’t be coerced into complying with the caller’s demands. Instead, report it so we can help bring a stop to this.”
Bennett found some comfort in the police response.
“They reassured me they were only two blocks away, and they increased patrols,” she said.
The Globe contacted the Bountiful police for a statement but did not receive a response.
Bennett was shaken by the caller’s language.
“I am a mother, a mother of a disabled child, a grandmother and a business owner,” Bennett said. “I am Latina; I immigrated here from Argentina decades ago. I am in the country legally.”
As for her staff, Bennett uses an agency, ADP, that verifies immigration status for hiring and payroll.
ABC 4 News ran a video and written story about the harassment, and Bennett found many of the comments in response “hurtful.”
“There’s so much hate out there,” she said.
Bennett is also a visible part of the Bountiful community. The café’s food truck is a regular sight at Bountiful farmers markets and food truck nights, while the brick-and-mortar French restaurant has a reputation for fine dining.
Bennett is also known for giving back to the community. During the Los Angeles wildfires in January, Bennett opened the restaurant to those who wanted to donate. She collected and sent six trucks of emergency supplies, including $1 million worth of masks.
