(ProsperNews.net) – A Washington, D.C., restaurant server has been fired after publicly stating that she would consider refusing service to officials from the incoming Trump administration.
Suzannah Van Rooy, a part-time server at Beuchert’s Saloon on Capitol Hill, sparked controversy this week after telling the Washingtonian that she would refuse to serve individuals whose policies or actions she found morally objectionable.
“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,” Van Rooy said. “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.”
Van Rooy’s comments were part of a broader article exploring whether public “resistance” to Trump officials would reemerge in Washington, D.C., similar to incidents during Trump’s first term. Those included then-White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders being ejected from a restaurant in Virginia and protesters confronting Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen at a D.C. Mexican restaurant.
Beuchert’s Saloon quickly responded to the backlash, condemning Van Rooy’s remarks and clarifying that she was not authorized to speak on behalf of 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,” the restaurant said in a statement.
The situation escalated further when Van Rooy allegedly logged into the restaurant’s social media accounts without permission to post inflammatory responses to online criticism. Beuchert’s Saloon announced Friday that they had terminated her employment for violating conduct protocols and their “zero-tolerance policy on discrimination.”
“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,” the restaurant wrote. “For these reasons as well as the sheer dismay and disgust we feel at her unforgivable behavior, Ms. Van Rooy has been dismissed immediately.”
The restaurant also urged the public not to judge their entire staff based on Van Rooy’s actions. “We are still the same restaurant known for its warm service and friendly staff and hope you will all visit us soon. We look forward to serving you. All of you.”
The incident has reignited conversations about political polarization and public confrontations, particularly in D.C., where tensions often spill into restaurants and other public spaces. Beuchert’s swift action underscores the challenges businesses face in maintaining neutrality while navigating an increasingly divided political climate.
Copyright 2024, ProsperNews.net
