Updated March 20, 2026, 4:08 p.m. ET
A restaurant in Little Rock, Arkansas, discovered itself in the course of controversy after the state’s Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders mentioned she was requested to leave the institution.
“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 mentioned in an announcement to USA TODAY.
The restaurant in query, The Croissanterie, responded to Sanders’ feedback, saying in an announcement to local news station THV 11 that workers and different diners “raised questions” in regards to the continued presence of the governor and her group within the restaurant.
“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,” the assertion mentioned. “Ultimately, we made the decision to support our employees and guests who expressed they were uncomfortable.”
In its statement, the restaurant added that it didn’t “recall any statements indicating that anyone felt threatened,” and that workers quietly requested the governor’s safety element to leave on two events, even providing the group drinks for the street.
“We regret being placed in this position and having to make a difficult decision,” the restaurant mentioned. “However, we stand by our choice to support our employees and guests.”
USA TODAY contacted The Croissanterie on Friday, March 20, however has not obtained a response.
Sanders’ 2019 incident at Virginia-based restaurant
The incident at The Croissanterie was not the one event the place Sanders had been requested to leave a restaurant.
Back in 2019, when Sanders was the White House Press Secretary throughout President Donald Trump’s first time period, the proprietor of a small eatery in Virginia kicked Sanders out of her establishment, USA TODAY beforehand reported.
Stephanie Wilkinson, the co-owner of the Red Hen, mentioned in a Washington Post op-ed that she was harassed after asking Sanders to leave her institution.
“Faced with the prospect of serving a fine meal to a person whose actions in the service of our country we felt violated basic standards of humanity, we balked. We couldn’t do it,” Wilkinson said.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending information reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and comply with him on X @fern_cerv_.
