Last weekend White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked to leave Red Hen, a restaurant in Lexington because of her role in defending President Trump's policies. A bar in Chicago this week banned “Make America Great Again” hats but then backtracked. Restaurants inside Trump Hotels — often the site of protests — have experienced a decline in business since the election. Locally, a Chesterfield restaurant owner is facing backlash after posting racist comments on Facebook about Congresswoman Maxine Waters.
We asked restaurant owners across the region: first, if they would ask someone to leave because of their political affiliation or due to particular policies, and second, whether 1) they have experienced guests or staff discussing politics and 2) there are in-house conversation guidelines. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 says that people cannot be discriminated against in courthouses, parks, restaurants, theaters, sports arenas or hotels based on race, gender, national origin or religion. It says nothing about politics.
Martin Gonzalez, co-owner of La Milpa
Photo by Jay Paul
Gonzalez closed his restaurant on February 16, 2017, for “A Day Without Immigrants,” a national protest to showcase the importance of immigrants in the country, and a response to the Trump administration’s travel ban and immigration policies.
“I think a business is not a place we can talk about [politics], because we have all types of customers, and we actually try to avoid this kind of conversation in the restaurant. If we go somewhere else, I think it’s OK, but from the business perspective to deny others because of political views is bad. And actually, the immigration situation — that’s not political; it’s about rights of people, it's different, and it’s about defending your rights, and something important for many people."
Michael Hall, chef and owner of Spoonbread Bistro and Spoonbread Deux
Photo by Palindrome Creative
“No, absolutely not. That’s like denying someone [service] because they're African-American. I don’t care who they are. ... The only [elected official] I’d recognize is Mayor Stoney; I don’t even really know what [other politicians] would look like. I’m very straightforward with serving the guest and making them happy. Whatever they believe in, is whatever they believe in. ... You don’t talk about religion, sexual orientation and politics, and that’s a rule in the kitchen.”
Brittanny Anderson, chef and co-owner of Brenner Pass, Chairlift, and Metzger Bar & Butchery
Photo by Jay Paul
“Typically, my answer would be no. I don’t think it’s totally up to me; I’m not sole owner, I have partners, and I’m in the business of hospitality, and as much as I might disagree with other people’s political beliefs, it’s not my job to make those decisions, and most of the time I don’t know when someone comes in who they are, and it’s a slippery slope. Although it’s completely within [a business owner's] rights to remove whoever they want as long as they’re not a protected class. It’s a personal decision. ... Obviously, horrifying things are happening in our government or we have strong opinions, but at work we tend to be focused on food and hospitality and dining.”
Michelle Williams, co-owner of Richmond Restaurant Group
File photo
“I feel super strongly about keeping politics out of the workplace. We're in customer service, and our job is to provide good customer service, and I don’t want to stoop to the same level as others; it’s almost counterintuitive. I may strongly have different opinions than some people that I serve, but that is not the place for me. We have a lot of political people in our spaces, and I haven’t had a circumstance where anything has gone south. As far as staff goes, we have an open banter and communication with one another but haven’t had staff take it to the customers."
Joe Sparatta, co-owner of Heritage and Southbound
Joe Sparatta, left (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
“Never, never — everybody is welcome as long as you're treating people and our staff with respect. Everyone is entitled to their own views, and I would never deny someone service. It’s really just about being respectful; if they’re not being respectful, they’d be asked to leave, or if they put hands on staff, or got loud and belligerent — there’s very few occasions we would ever ask someone to leave or not be there. We’ve overheard people talking about politics, and when our views are not the same, you just have to let it go and focus on making people happy, regardless, on either side."
Ian Kirkland, owner of Caboose Market and Café
“I think one of the benefits about this country is freedom of expression, which is also a Catch-22. If someone’s pounding hate speech, I’ll ask them to leave, but it’s not about their personal and political beliefs, more than their behavior. Every person that walks and sits down feels differently about things that I do, and it’s a fine line to start crossing when you start judging people when they walk in. We have not had any situation where I’ve been here and [a political discussion has] been a problem. We want people to maintain a professional environment. There’s certainly been times people have had political discussions but never to the point of it being elevated. We don’t have guidelines for employees, and honestly now that the environment has evolved recently, or it’s being more brought to life, it’s something we may need to sit down and discuss. It seems like politics is the new discrimination, and if they find out you're right- or left-wing, it’s immediate discrimination against them. ... If I choose to throw someone out and my business is in the spotlight or being shut down, it affects everyone that works here.”
