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Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said she was asked to leave a restaurant in Little Rock last week while having lunch with two other women.
Sanders said the incident occurred on March 13 at the Croissanterie, where she was dining with her State Police Executive Protection Detail nearby. According to the governor, the restaurant’s owner told her that her presence made employees feel threatened and asked her and her party to leave.
“Arkansans are known for their warm hospitality, and while that restaurant certainly doesn’t meet that standard, my administration will continue to focus on lifting Arkansans up, not tearing others down with discrimination and hate,” Sanders said in a statement.
The Croissanterie issued its own statement describing the situation and saying employees were surprised when the governor arrived.
“At that point, we chose not to interrupt, expecting that the party would complete their meal and depart without issue,” the restaurant said. “As business owners and members of this community, we recognized that any course of action carried consequences.”
The restaurant said that allowing Sanders to remain “risked being perceived as a lack of support for the community that makes up the majority of our team, as well as their families and friends,” while asking her to leave “could be viewed as denying service based on differing beliefs.”
“Ultimately, we made the decision to support our employees and guests who expressed they were uncomfortable,” the restaurant said. “We do not recall any statements indicating that anyone felt threatened.”
According to the restaurant, about an hour after Sanders and her party arrived, an employee asked a member of her security detail to have the governor “conclude her visit” after finishing her meal.
About 30 minutes later, the staff approached the security detail again and asked Sanders to leave within 10 minutes.
“After reviewing camera footage, we confirmed that a member of the security detail did send a message to the governor following the initial request; however, it was not seen at that time,” the restaurant said. “Once the message was received, she and her party departed without incident.”
The incident echoes a similar episode in 2018 when Sanders, then serving as White House press secretary for President Donald Trump, said she was asked to leave The Red Hen restaurant in Virginia.