Sarah Sanders flipped off, kicked out of restaurant that claims employees were 'uncomfortable'

Republican Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is speaking out over an incident in a restaurant in her home state where she says she was treated rudely and asked to leave by staff while having lunch. 

"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 said in a statement Thursday about her recent dining experience at The Croissanterie restaurant in Little Rock, Arkansas. 

"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’s office tells Fox News Digital the governor visited the establishment on Friday, March 13, along with her security detail and after about an hour and fifteen minutes, during which her group was seated at two tables and had already paid and tipped staff, the restaurant’s owner approached a member of the security detail and requested that the governor leave.

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Her office said the request was made due to concerns that her presence was making employees feel threatened and uncomfortable due to her political views.

Sanders and her party complied with the request and exited the restaurant. As they were leaving, an individual standing with the restaurant staff shouted for them to go and made a crude hand gesture in the governor’s direction.

The Croissanterie released a lengthy statement about the incident to local media, saying when they first learned she had arrived at the establishment they were "surprised and uncertain how best to respond."

"By the time we entered the dining room, she was already seated and eating. At that point, we chose not to interrupt, expecting that the party would complete their meal and depart without issue," the statement said. 

The restaurant says that as time went on, the governor’s security detail became "more widely noticed, by both employees and guests, questions were raised about them remaining in the restaurant."

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"As business owners and members of this community, we recognized that any course of action carried consequences. Allowing her to stay 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. Conversely, asking her to leave could be viewed as denying service based on differing beliefs."

The restaurant says they "ultimately made the decision" to "support our employees and guests who expressed they were uncomfortable" but said "we do not recall any statements indicating that anyone felt threatened."

The restaurant says that one hour into the governor’s visit, a member of the security detail was "quietly approached and asked to encourage the governor to conclude her visit" given she had finished dining."

"Nearly 30 minutes later, the party remained on the premises," the restaurant says. "As the 90-minute table seating limit approached, the security detail was approached a second time and informed that approximately 10 minutes remained. Around this time, another customer attempted to involve themselves in the situation and was asked to step away."

The restaurant says they reviewed camera footage from the incident and 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. Once the message was received, she and her party departed without incident."

The restaurant went on to say that "many" guests in the dining room were "unaware of the situation" and that there was "no applause or disruption."

The Croissanterie also claimed that the individual who made an "inappropriate hand gesture" to Sanders was a customer rather than an employee and "the matter has been addressed."

"We regret being placed in this position and having to make a difficult decision," the restaurant said. "However, we stand by our choice to support our employees and guests."

Fox News Digital reached out to The Croissanterie for details on what specifically made the employees "uncomfortable" but did not receive a response. 

A similar incident unfolded in 2018, while Sanders was serving as President Donald Trump's press secretary, when she was asked to leave a Red Hen restaurant in Virginia after being told the ownership took issue with her political views and job position.

"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," Sanders tweeted at the time. "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."

Other Republican political targets who were harassed at restaurants that year included Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.; U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas; and former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.

Fox News Digital's Bradford Betz contributed to this report.