Risk It for the Brisket

The story so far

Ian Murphy opened Iron Pig Smokehouse (Moore Murphy Hospitality, LLC) in Gaylord in 2017. In late 2020, when state health orders banned indoor dining, he kept his doors open. The state answered with a citation, a $5,000 fine, a suspended food license, restraining orders, and contempt fines.

Murphy fought back in court. In January 2022, Otsego County Circuit Judge Colin Hunter voided the fine and ruled that the statute behind the emergency orders was an unconstitutional delegation of legislative power. In December 2022 the state dropped its own appeal.

From there the fight grew past one restaurant. Murphy went on to challenge the local health department, and then, with his neighbors, an industrial solar plant planned for Hayes Township. Along the way he became a community organizer and an advocate for local control.