A restaurant employee in Washington, D.C., was recently fired after making comments suggesting that she would refuse service to officials within the incoming Trump administration. The woman’s remarks were part of a report indicating a local “resistance” to Trump’s officials when they were encountered in the nation’s capital.
In a recent statement to the Washingtonian, Suzannah Van Rooy, a server at Beuchert’s Saloon on Capitol Hill, said, “I personally would refuse to serve any person in office who I know of as being a sex trafficker or trying to deport millions of people.” She added, “It’s not, ‘Oh, we hate Republicans.’ It’s that this person has moral convictions that are strongly opposed to mine, and I don’t feel comfortable serving them.”
“People were a lot more motivated the first time around to do those kinds of shows of passion. This time around, there is kind of a sense of defeat and acceptance,” Van Rooy continued, drawing on how demoralized the left is after Trump’s landslide victory over Vice President Harris. “But I hope that people still do stand up to this administration and tell them their thoughts on their misbehavior.”
However, Beuchert’s released a statement clarifying that the comments do not represent the restaurant. “Recent comments made by a member of staff who had no authority to speak on behalf of our entire restaurant have been, quite rightly, flagged as inappropriate, hostile, intolerant, and unacceptable. This staff member does NOT speak for us as a restaurant,” the establishment said.
The restaurant continued, “After the inauguration in January, we will begin serving our fourth administration as a neighborhood restaurant on Capitol Hill open to all and welcoming to all. We have always been a safe space for all. Everyone, especially anyone who feels prejudged or misunderstood, will always find friendly service and a sympathetic ear at Beuchert’s Saloon. Again, we deeply apologize for the comments made by a member of staff. They are NOT representative of our restaurant and do not reflect how we operate as a business, and how proud we are to be a gathering place on Capitol Hill.”
Beuchert’s further denounced Van Rooy’s conduct that misrepresented the restaurant. “Not only do Ms. Van Rooy’s comments clearly violate our zero-tolerance policy on discrimination, but her decision to sign into our social media accounts in the middle of the night to post her own rhetoric in wildly offensive responses to comments is a further breach of conduct and protocol. She has no authority to speak on our behalf, and her comments do not reflect the positions of over twenty other people who make up our staff,” the Capitol Hill restaurant continued.
Explaining that Van Rooy no longer works at the restaurant, the restaurant added, “For these reasons as well as the sheer dismay and disgust we feel at her unforgivable behavior, Ms. Van Rooy has been dismissed immediately. Our staff and families (many of whom are personally offended by Ms. Van Rooy’s comments about them) are still reeling from what Ms. Van Rooy said and did, and we as a restaurant are simply horrified to be associated with base prejudice.”
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