Republican Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has addressed an incident at a restaurant in which she said she was rudely treated and asked to leave by staff while having lunch.
In a statement posted on X on Thursday, March 19, Sanders said she was asked to leave a restaurant in her own state after staff raised concerns about her presence, an incident that has quickly drawn national political attention.
“Last week I was having lunch with two other moms at a restaurant when the owner approached a member of the State Police Executive Protection Detail and said my presence made their employees feel threatened and told us to leave.”
“Arkansans are known for their warm hospitality, and while that restaurant didn’t meet that standard, my administration will continue to focus on lifting Arkansans up, not tearing others down.”
What happened to Governor Sanders inside the restaurant
According to Sanders’s office, the governor visited The Croissanterie on Friday, March 13, accompanied by her security detail.
The group had been seated for approximately one hour and fifteen minutes, occupying two tables, and had already paid and tipped the staff when the situation unfolded.
Her office said that the restaurant owner approached a member of the security team and asked Sanders to leave, citing concerns that her presence was making employees feel “threatened and uncomfortable” because of her political views. Sanders and her party complied with the request and exited the restaurant.
In addition, the office noted that, as they were leaving, an individual standing with the staff shouted at them to go and made a crude hand gesture toward the governor.
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The Croissanterie, however, disputed key elements of the governor’s account, particularly the claim that employees felt threatened.
“To clarify, we do not recall any statements indicating that anyone felt threatened,” the restaurant said in a written statement.
The establishment said staff only became aware of Sanders’s presence after she had already been seated and eating. At that point, they chose not to interrupt the meal.
“As the presence of her security detail became more widely noticed, by both employees and guests, questions were raised about them remaining in the restaurant,” the statement read.
The restaurant said it faced competing concerns: allowing her to stay “risked being perceived as a lack of support for the community that makes up the majority of our team,” while asking her to leave “could be viewed as denying service based on differing beliefs.”
Timeline disputed
According to the restaurant, about an hour into the visit, a staff member approached the security detail and asked them to “encourage” the governor to conclude her visit since she had finished dining. Beverages were offered to go.
Nearly 30 minutes later, the party was still on the premises.
As the restaurant’s 90-minute table limit approached, staff said the security detail was approached a second time and informed them that roughly 10 minutes remained.
The Croissanterie said a message was sent to Sanders through her security team, but was not immediately seen. Once it was received, she and her party left without further incident.
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The restaurant also said the individual who made a crude gesture was a customer, not an employee, and that the matter had been addressed.
“We regret being placed in this position and having to make a difficult decision,” the statement said. “However, we stand by our choice to support our employees and guests.”
Sanders, a former White House press secretary under President Donald Trump’s first administration, is one of the most prominent Republican governors and a consistent ally of the president.
She is also the daughter of U.S. Ambassador to Israel and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. He had reacted to the incident on Thursday morning in a statement:
“When intolerant & bigoted business owners tell 1/2 of public to not come we should be gracious & comply as my daughter/Governor did. But shouldn’t you express the hate before she ate, paid & tipped?”
2018 Red Hen incident
A similar incident unfolded in 2018, when Governor Sanders was serving as White House press secretary and was asked to leave the Red Hen restaurant in Lexington, Virginia.
At the time, she said she was told to leave because she worked for President Trump.
“Her actions say far more about her than about me,” Sanders wrote then, adding that she always strives to treat people respectfully, including those she disagrees with.
That incident became a flashpoint in a broader wave of confrontations involving Republican officials in public spaces, including then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senator Ted Cruz.
