Sarah Huckabee Sanders says restaurant asked her to leave for making staff 'feel threatened'

LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS: Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has claimed she was asked to leave a restaurant in her own state as the staff felt “threatened” by her presence during what she described as a casual lunch outing.

The Republican shared her account of the incident last week, first in an interview and later in a post on X (formerly Twitter), detailing what happened during the visit to a Little Rock eatery.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders says owner asked her to leave mid-lunch

According to Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the incident unfolded while she was dining with two friends.

She said the restaurant owner approached a member of her security detail and raised concerns about her being there. “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,” Sanders wrote.

She pointed out that the timing of the request stood out. By then, she said, she had already spent about an hour at the restaurant, finished her meal, and paid the bill.

Sanders also claimed that some customers in the restaurant had thanked her for her work, suggesting that not everyone present shared the same concerns as the staff.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders claims she faced offensive gestures while leaving restaurant

The situation, according to Sanders, did not end quietly. She alleged that a group caused a scene as she was leaving.

In her remarks, she said people shouted “it’s time to leave” and made rude gestures toward her, including an inappropriate hand gesture. 

Despite the incident, Sanders struck a measured tone in her public response. “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,” she wrote.

In a separate statement, she added that her administration would continue its work “not tearing others down with discrimination and hate,” stressing her stance after the encounter.

This is not the first time Sanders has been asked to leave a restaurant due to her political role.

Back in 2018, while serving as press secretary under Presdient Donald Trump, she and her family were asked to leave a Virginia restaurant over her association with the administration.

Restaurant staff respond on social media

Following Sanders’ claims, a group of employees from the restaurant responded online, pushing back in their own way.

One post, attributed to an employee named Zachary Hickman, expressed pride in both the workplace and personal identity.

“No amount of evil you send our way can ever take our smiles away!!! I’m proud af to work here! I’m proud af to be gay and I’m proud af to be an Arkansan. My voice matters. Try again,” the message read.