Some Cluck but Social Sees Red Over Red Hen

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Source: 30dB.com – Red%20Hen

When Stephanie Wilkinson, owner of Red Hen in Lexington, Va., was notified by her staff last Friday that White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and friends were sitting at a table in the little eatery, she knew she would have to make a tough call. Most of her crew was apprehensive about serving Sanders, who has played defense for some of President Donald Trump’s most widely loathed policies, such as “zero tolerance” immigration enforcement, which led to an outcry from Americans all over the country last week. After taking a quick poll of her employees, Wilkinson drew Sanders aside and asked her to leave. That decision has proven fateful for Red Hen, which currently sees 67 percent negative opinions online and has been slammed with a slew of bad press. Reviews for the restaurant fell to two-and-a-half stars over the weekend, and similarly named restaurants in the area scrambled to make sure the public knew not to target them. Even Trump jumped on board Monday morning, going after Red Hen for what he alleged was poor maintenance. Wilkinson, however, told The Washington Post that she does not regret her decision. “I would have done the same thing again,” she said. “We just felt there are moments in time when people need to live their convictions. This appeared to be one.” –Hugo Guzman