Keith McNally, the well-known restaurateur celebrated for his candid revelations about encountering rude celebrity patrons at his upscale New York City eatery, Balthazar, caused a stir within his network of restaurants amid a crisis.

On his Instagram page, Keith shocked his followers when he responded to news of Hamas’ attacks with the statement: “The More Utterly Repugnant The Facts, The Greater The Responsibility Becomes To Listen To The Other Side.”

Numerous followers in the comments section vowed never to patronize his establishments again. Additionally, sources informed Page Six that Keith’s business partners, colleagues, and industry peers had urged him to remove the post and confronted him about his remarks.

Although the businessman initially stood by his position earlier today and refused to retract his comments, he has since deleted the post and issued an apology.