# Burr Ridge Eatery ‘Honored’ By O.J. Simpson Visit
## The restaurant later apologized after touting the convicted felon’s endorsement.
BURR RIDGE, IL – The owner of Burr Ridge’s Capri Ristorante touted a visit by O.J. Simpson last week, saying in a video he was “very honored” to have the former professional football player as a guest.
That turned out to be a public relations problem for the restaurant, prompting an apology.
Last week, the restaurant posted a video of Simpson, a 75-year-old convicted felon, with Capri owner Filippo “Gigi” Rovito.
In the video, Rovito worked a frying pan while Simpson put his arm around the restaurateur.
“I’m here with a legend, O.J. Simpson,” Rovito said. “I’m honored, very honored that he came in.”
In return, Simpson praised the cuisine.
“The food, oh my God! Italian food. This was like what I’m used to in San Francisco, back in my youth,” Simpson said.
After Capri posted the video, many criticized the restaurant for promoting Simpson’s endorsement, given his criminal past.
On Saturday, the restaurant apologized for the video, which was taken down. Capri said it sent the footage to a third-party vendor, which manages the restaurant’s online content.
“This video was not supposed to be posted,” Capri said in a Facebook post. “We are aware of what occurred and will exercise greater caution in the future. The person has since been fired.”
It continued, “We are truly sorry for anyone who was upset or offended over this. At the same time, we assure you that every single measure is being taken to handle this problem at its core and to make sure that nothing like this happens again in the future.”
The video with Simpson was preserved on “The Real Burr Ridge” Facebook page.
Although Capri said it never intended to post the footage, Rovito used his traditional sign-off for all of his public videos: “If you’re my friend, you’ll never starve.”
Rovito, who has a criminal past of his own, posted a later video in which he strived to move on from the incident.
He was again in the kitchen working on a plate.
“All that nonsense. All that gossip. Let’s worry about what’s here. All that newspaper talk, put it in your ass,” Rovito said.
He then pointed to one of the restaurant’s dishes, saying, “This is what the news is over here.”
In 2008, Simpson was convicted and sentenced to prison for armed robbery and kidnapping.
In the 1990s, he was acquitted in the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown, and her friend, Ron Goldman. He was later found liable for their deaths.
According to Burr Ridge police, Rovito is a convicted felon with multiple convictions. Court records show the victim of 17-year-old Rovito’s 1991 sex crime was a 14-year-old girl. He was released from prison in 2002 after about five years, according to local police.
Rovito did not return a message for comment.