WESTERN JOURNAL – A restaurant that made headlines after its owner kicked out then-White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders is closing its doors.
The Red Hen, located in Lexington, Virginia, was the subject of negative headlines in June 2018 when owner Stephanie Wilkinson asked Sanders and seven others she was dining with at the restaurant to leave.
Wilkinson, during an interview with The Washington Post at the time, explained she was at home when her employees called her to inform her that Sanders and her family had been seated in The Red Hen.
She said she drove to the restaurant to confirm the now-Arkansas governor was indeed dining in at the establishment.
Per Wilkinson, her staff was “concerned.”
“After refusing to serve White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the Red Hen restaurant grew notorious, prompting a national debate over social decency in an era of sharp political divides. Protesters flocked to the restaurant, and it stayed closed for nearly two weeks.” – USA TODAY, JULY 6, 2018
Numerous employees identified as being part of the LGBT community and were upset that then-President Donald Trump had banned so-called “transgender” individuals from the military.
The owner of the restaurant told the Post she personally found the Trump administration to be “inhumane and unethical.”
“I’m not a huge fan of confrontation,” Wilkinson told the paper. “I have a business, and I want the business to thrive. This feels like the moment in our democracy when people have to make uncomfortable actions and decisions to uphold their morals.”
Wilkinson said she asked Sanders to speak with her privately before she asked her to leave …
“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.” – Sarah Huckabee Sanders
