White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders claimed she was barred service from a Virginia restaurant because of her role in Donald Trump‘s administration.
Sanders attempted to patronize the Red Hen in Lexington, Virginia on Friday night, but apparently, she didn’t even make it to the main entree before the restaurant’s owner asked her to leave. Server Jaike Foley-Schultz first shared the news on Facebook, saying he served Sanders “for a total of 2 minutes before my owner asked her to leave and she complied.”
https://www.facebook.com/jaikefs/posts/10105254051390946
Sanders confirmed the interaction on Twitter on Saturday morning, writing, “Last night I was told by the owner of Red Hen in Lexington, VA to leave because I work for @POTUS and I politely left.” But she didn’t stop there. “Her actions say far more about her than about me. I always do my best to treat people, including those I disagree with, respectfully and will continue to do so,” she continued.
Last night I was told by the owner of Red Hen in Lexington, VA to leave because I work for @POTUS and I politely left. Her actions say far more about her than about me. I always do my best to treat people, including those I disagree with, respectfully and will continue to do so
— Kayleigh McEnany 45 Archived (@PressSec45) June 23, 2018
That policy of respectful disagreement apparently doesn’t extend to undocumented immigrants who believe they have a right to make a new life for themselves in this country without having their children forcibly ripped from their arms.
Lest anybody sympathize with Sanders’ backhanded attempt at taking the moral high road, her father, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, swiftly squashed any further goodwill with an unfunny and barely coherent tweet of his own. “Bigotry. On the menu at Red Hen Restaurant in Lexington VA. Or you can ask for the ‘Hate Plate.’ And appetizers are ‘small plates for small minds.’” he wrote.
Earlier on Saturday, Mike Huckabee disgusted much of the internet with his own racist tweet.
Bigotry. On the menu at Red Hen Restaurant in Lexington VA. Or you can ask for the “Hate Plate”. And appetizers are “small plates for small minds” https://t.co/rHEVdcQwwh
— Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) June 23, 2018
In an act of solidarity, scorned conservatives flocked to the Red Hen’s Yelp page to leave scathing reviews. “Kicking out the White House Press Secretary—–DISGUSTING!!!!!!!!!” wrote Scott G. “Your business practices disgust the majority of Americans….what gives you the right to kick out patrons based on their political views???” It’s unclear how Scott G. feels about bakers who refuse to serve couples with different sexual orientations than their own.
Despite the Yelp backlash, several Twitter users praised the Red Hen for its decision. And if one user is to be believed, the move has done wonders for their reservations:
https://twitter.com/TopRopeTravis/status/1010553182412558336
Red Hen should simply hold a press conference, and defiantly state that this never happened. https://t.co/qb2lzEpYwx
— Eric Kleefeld (@EricKleefeld) June 23, 2018
THANK YOU Red Hen in Lexington, Virginia for kicking @SarahHuckabee out last night.
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) June 23, 2018
Thank you for proving that Free Speech is still alive despite the Trump Administration’s attempts to end it.
https://twitter.com/ava/status/1010544328022876160
I highly recommend the Red Hen Restaurant in Lexington, VA. The food is great, and you won't have to sit near a vile, lying shitbag! pic.twitter.com/NT7vk8ocGz
— Robert Reilly (opheclide on Threads) (@trumpscene) June 23, 2018
https://twitter.com/spamruler/status/1010549707595280385
According to the Washington Post, several of the restaurant’s employees are gay, and the owner said the interaction with Sanders was polite.
“I explained that the restaurant has certain standards that I feel it has to uphold, such as honesty, and compassion, and cooperation,” Stephanie Wilkinson told the Post. “I said, ‘I’d like to ask you to leave.’”
Sanders responded by saying, “That’s fine. I’ll go.’”
And then Sanders got on Twitter and brought the beef to the entire world.