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Restaurant gets Yelp-bombed for asking Sarah Sanders to leave

People took to Yelp to review The Red Hen's alleged refusal to serve someone who works for the president.

Michelle Meyers
Michelle Meyers wrote and edited CNET News stories from 2005 to 2020 and is now a contributor to CNET.
Michelle Meyers
2 min read
Sarah Sanders Holds Daily Press Briefing At The White House

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, shown here at a briefing Monday, says she was asked to leave a Virginia restaurant Friday night because she works for the president.  

Alex Wong / Getty Images

The Red Hen, a farm-to-table restaurant in the Shenandoah Valley, has been flooded with mostly one- and five-star Yelp reviews after White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted that the owner had asked her to leave Friday night because she works for President Donald Trump.

"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 Saturday morning. "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."

The Red Hen didn't immediately respond to an email seeking confirmation and comment, and phone calls to the restaurant didn't go through.

But someone claiming to be Sanders' server posted on Facebook about the incident, CBS News reported. The post was tweeted out by Brennan Gilmore, the executive director of environmental group Clean Virginia. It said the employee served Sanders for two minutes before her owner kicked Sanders and her family members out of the restaurant, located about 200 miles outside of Washington.

Yelpers from all over the country took to the restaurant's page to offer opposing opinions of the owner's reported actions.

"Despicable and outlandish behavior. The only thing served here … if they agree to serve you ... is a heaping plate of arrogance and hypocrisy," Yelper Russell H of McKinney, Texas, wrote on Saturday morning in a one-star review.

Offering up five stars was Nancy H. of Paia, Hawaii. "Thank you for having the courage of your convictions. Bravo The Red Hen for standing up to evil, brutality, lying, and corruption."

Reviewers initially confused the Virginia restaurant with one by the same name in DC. The Washington restaurant posted on Twitter in an attempt to clear things up.

"Good morning! @PressSec went to the unaffiliated @RedHenLex last night, not to our DC-based restaurant." the restaurant tweeted.

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