Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that she and her party were rudely kicked out of a restaurant last week because some employees felt threatened and uncomfortable by her presence.
In a Thursday statement posted to X, the Razorback State Republican shared the news about the rude treatment at The Croissanterie, a Little Rock-based eatery known for its authentic French-style croissants.
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.
Arkansans are known for their warm hospitality, and… https://t.co/oYtZQNkX8o
— Sarah Huckabee Sanders (@SarahHuckabee) March 19, 2026
“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,” the governor wrote.
“Arkansans are known for their warm hospitality, and while that restaurant didn’t meet that standard, my administration will continue to focus on lifting Arkansans up, not tearing others down,” she said.
In an added insult, one of the fragile employees shot her the bird as Sanders and her party were on the way out.
A spokesperson from the governor’s office told Fox News Digital that Sanders – who was accompanied by her security detail – visited the restaurant on Friday, March 13 and “after about an hour and fifteen minutes, during which her group was seated at two tables and had already paid and tipped staff, the restaurant’s owner approached a member of the security detail and requested that the governor leave.”
Sanders’ office said that “the request was made due to concerns that her presence was making employees feel threatened and uncomfortable due to her political views” and that the governor and her party complied and departed as asked and as they were exiting the premises, “an individual standing with the restaurant staff shouted for them to go and made a crude hand gesture in the governor’s direction.”
(Video: YouTube/KARK)
The establishment, which touts its humble beginnings selling croissants and breakfast sandwiches at farmers’ markets and out of food trucks, reacted to the governor’s post by issuing a statement of its own that, when learning of the governor’s presence, they were “surprised and uncertain how best to respond.”
“By the time we entered the dining room, she was already seated and eating. At that point, we chose not to interrupt, expecting that the party would complete their meal and depart without issue,” the statement to local media said.
“As business owners and members of this community, we recognized that any course of action carried consequences. 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. Conversely, asking her to leave could be viewed as denying service based on differing beliefs,” the statement continued.
The Croissanterie said that they “ultimately made the decision” to “support our employees and guests who expressed they were uncomfortable,” adding “we do not recall any statements indicating that anyone felt threatened.”
According to the eatery’s website: “We began selling our homemade croissants at farmers’ markets in 2019, and the demand exploded. Our idea began when breakfast sandwiches were our most requested item. During quarantine in 2020, we designed our food truck, and it was ready to hit the road in November, after an eight-month wait. As the world started to open back up after COVID-19, we opened our window and were able to serve our Flakey Friends once again!”
The establishment states it moved into its “first brick-and-mortar” in late 2021 and to a larger location in early 2026.
Sanders’ father, former Arkansas governor and current U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, reacted to the incident in a post to X.
When intolerant & bigoted business owners tell 1/2 of public to not come we should be gracious & comply as my Daughter/Governor did. But shouldn’t you express the hate BEFORE she ate, paid & tipped? @SarahHuckabee was asked to leave https://t.co/MG7V5I7Xt8
— Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) March 19, 2026
It’s not the first time that Sanders has been rudely treated at a restaurant.
Back in 2018, when she was serving as White House press secretary during President Donald J. Trump’s first term, Sanders and her family were tossed from a Virginia restaurant because the staff was triggered by her political views.
New details emerge about Sarah Sanders’ visit to the Red Hen restaurant | @dougmckelway pic.twitter.com/zxXvksnzOD
— FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) June 26, 2018
“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,” she posted to social media at the time. “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.”
Members of the first Trump administration, GOP lawmakers, and even Supreme Court justices were routinely harassed by leftists at restaurants in behavior that was encouraged by elected Democrats. It seems like those days are now back.
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