I noted an article about the Red Hen restaurant in Lexington kicking out Sarah Huckabee and 7 family members by the owner because of her job as President Trump's press secretary. This is interesting as Lexington isn't exactly a DC suburb. I am curious if Lexington is suffering from mass Trump derangement syndrome.  Granted college towns normally lean far left, but I mean this is VMI. I would think the Corps of Cadets along with the faculty would be more conservative making this a very bad business decision.

I find it humorous looking at their Facebook page at all the negative comments as well as the positive comments on them throwing Sanders out of the restaurant. Most of these folks don't live anywhere near Lexington and have probably never been there in their lives. I am left wondering if this restaurant going to suffer greatly for making a rash and emotional business decision.

Sure hope the locals shut this place down voting with their wallets. That is if it is indeed out of step with the locals in Lexington and surrounding areas.

Red Hen Restaurant Lexington, VA

W&L is also in Lexington.

Still, is there really enough support in Lexington from the city and county to keep this place in business? Do you think their business is going to suffer because of this? I don't know why, but am really curious.

I live in NE North Carolina now pretty much on the edge of Chesapeake and in Tidewater, I think something like this would be a very bad business decision.  I guess I am just surprised that the owner is comfortable with starting this shit storm, or maybe the marble sized mind of a liberal thinks this will somehow be popular or has grossly underestimated the reaction.  They will probably get some positive press from the main stream media, but last time I was in that area of Virginia, it sure seemed heavy Republican.

If Lexington and the western counties allow this to stand and not drive this restaurant out of business, then I don't hold out much hope for Virginia to once again be a red state.

Events like this are skirmishes in the culture war for the soul of the nation.

That's scary for us here in NC as well. The state is steadily moving  towards going blue. The research triangle and the western area, primarily Asheville for now, are becoming a big threat to liberty and 2nd Amendment rights here.

Hitlery won in the City of Lexington by about 2 to 1 (1514 to 766). But The Donald won in Rockbridge County by about the same margin (6680 to 3508).

Stupid!   Publicly humiliate a person who has one of the biggest communication platforms in the world.  Mrs. Sanders has too much class to do it, but if she wanted to, she could use her position as press secretary to the President to bring an s-storm of negative publicity on the restaurant.

Besides, these infantile temper tantrums that people like this restaurant owner carry out rarely bring them more business, but they definitely cause a good share of their existing patrons to stop patronizing their business.  Either because they want to boycott the business for their actions or because they don't want to get the same treatment as Mrs. Sanders based solely upon their political/religious beliefs.

Reflects the organized "rock the vote" or whatever they call it now in college towns.  This movement kicked off within the past 10yrs.  Haven't we seen a student/college affiliate or two busted for voter fraud around VA college campuses?  Lexington still has a very conservative feel to it, but never discount academia and paid activism.  I bet this hurts their biz.

Still, is there really enough support in Lexington from the city and county to keep this place in business?

maybe,

hard to say in the times we live in where everyone goes viral on some type of social media,,

meaning, Lexington and area seem to have a bit of a hippy crowd,
same as Charlottesville, and parts of RVA etc etc etc

foodie joints that are run by the feel good types,

usually good to great food in a casual setting,

lots of that type here in RVA, and likely all are very left leaning,
saying that as a conservative that loves good food, and prefers the local vs chain places

I have not seen anything like that or heard anything like that from any owner, server, bartender etc at any place I frequent,
as far as comments about politics etc,

not a clue what may happen if the Donald or one of his peeps actually showed up at any of them,

back to the Red Hen, read somewhere they have been opened 10 yrs,  so they may be able to survive, esp if the lefty's that have been commenting on the news sites are local enough to frequent the place,

I am curious if the closing a night or 2 is hurting the staff as far as wages, /savings/ etc and if they will continue to work there

Great comments by all.  Even though I live in North Carolina, I live within 12 miles of the border (Chesapeake), so have a keen interest in what goes on Virginia. It's where we do a lot of our shopping and virtually everything having to do with firearms is in Tidewater.

It's tragic what's going on with the political environment in the old dominion.  I have fears that the political trend in Virginia will continue its southern movement and we will see the same infringements on our liberties as you guys.

That brings us to the dust up in Lexington with the Red Hen.  I said earlier in this thread, this is a skirmish in the culture war for the soul of the nation and our republic. Stuff like this can't stand without consequence if we are to stand up to the Marxist/progressive left and defend our liberties.

Its my hope that locals in Lexington and the surrounding county(s) not patronize the Red Hen and encourage everyone within their circle of influence to stay away as well.

I took a look at Lexington's demographics. Its interesting that with a population of less than 7,000 (not sure if the census includes student populations at VMI and W&L) there are only 3913 registered voters. I thought it would have been higher.  I also find it interesting that of the 3913, there were 2280 who voted in 2016. That's 58.27% voter turnout. That seemed really high to me. However, that fits with a national average of around 59% in the 2016 election.

It would seem to me that places like Lexington are ripe for voter registration drives to try and change the political environment. Without an active political opposition at the grass roots level we will continue to see gains by the activist democrats and that constituency is rapidly moving further to the extreme left. I think that every university has a suppressed conservative leaning student population. Seek them out for voter registration. Granted W&L may not be all that fertile grounds, but certainly VMI should be.  It appears that only 11% of the population is under 18, so that leaves a lot of voting age folks available for registration.

Continuing on with my rambling,  with regard to the Red Hen specifically, the locals may not be able to close the restaurant, but they can sure hurt it.  Steep drop offs in customer patronage will cut into profits leading to cuts in staff and profit reduction for ownership. At the least the owners need to feel the pain that their decision/action brings.

If I lived there, I would use my social network, working to isolate them from the rest of the restaurant population in Lexington, like the Twitter CEO was shamed by his followers for eating at Chick Fila. I would extend that to the evangelical community who (in the south) are big after church dinner customers.

Then there is the tourist dollars which is one of 2 pillars of the Lexington economy the other being the universities. I am not sure if the righteous anger over this will last over time, but think that while it does will do great harm.  I am not sure what the average tourist to Lexington looks like, but think its likely Civil War and/or other history buffs. Not sure a lot of these folks are liberal leaning.

I was hoping to hear from someone on Arfcom who lives in Lexington or Rockbridge county with their thoughts on this. The shit storm continues to build at least on Fox News, but will probably disappear from the headlines in a few days. I did note in an article on this at the Virginia Pilot newspaper today, the comments were probably 2 to 1 against the Red Hen. Wonder if that extends out towards Roanoke, Rocky Mount/Franklin County, etc. Don't know how many day visitors from the extended area make trips over that way.

Edited to add:  If anyone is interested there is a great book on how the Saul Alinsky folks have weaponized political activism. These folks are playing the long game and have achieved impressive results in turning the direction of the nation towards the left at ever increasing speed. The book is "Subversion Inc"

https://www.amazon.com/Subversion-Inc-Terrorizing-American-Taxpayers-ebook/dp/B01EK49J1C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1529862688&sr=8-1&keywords=subversion+inc

What has Trump done to gays?  I can’t figure it out.

He's not a Democrat.  To them, that's a crime.

Corrected it for you.

Not surprising, I haven't been to Lexington much, but found it to be a beautiful little town, but have always heard it's a Liberal town. Goes with the college town.
Lynchburg would be bluer than blue if it weren't for LU.

I live about 10miles outside of Lexington, and work at VMI.

Lexington proper is quite liberal, and that is immediately apparent in every election, policy, etc.  The surrounding county is not, but Lex is absolutely a spot of deepest blue.  Robert E. Lee Episcopal Church, for example, recently changed its name due to political pressure.  W&L is on a social justice crusade over Lee as well.   I could go on and on...

That liberal identity seems to come from two things- liberal college employees (yes, even at VMI in some departments) and the huge influx of wealthy retirees.  Lexington is expensive, with little employment opportunities outside of small sales or service businesses.  So working folks with skin in the game live in the county, while the retired elite live in town.  That has led to lots of do-gooder and good-idea-fairy crap, and Lexington itself is a lost cause in terms of sane politics.

The Red Hen Restaurant should focus more on cleaning its filthy canopies, doors and windows (badly needs a paint job) rather than refusing to serve a fine person like Sarah Huckabee Sanders. I always had a rule, if a restaurant is dirty on the outside, it is dirty on the inside!

Donald J. Trump  (@realDonaldTrump) June 25, 2018

They will eventually crash the budget and things will blow up.

Probably to late to bother spaying and neutering them.
Past reproductive years already.

In terms of eventual fiscal challenges, they are well ahead of schedule.  The two colleges largely fund Lexington, and do so through their sewer & water bills.  Since both schools are exempt from property tax, the city has to find an alternative way to pull revenue out of them- and they certainly have.  The collateral damage is everyone else who then also has to pay their inflated sewer & water rates, driving even more potentially productive city residents and businesses away and leaving gaps that are being filled by the non-productive wealthy retired.

The owner runs more than just her small restaurant- she is also the Director of Main Street Lexington, meaning her views and efforts can get voice and traction on the backs of other people's money, businesses, and efforts.

The city had better be very careful.
Public operated utilities must charge ALL users the same rate and are prohibited
from making a profit from some users to subsidize others.
Like residents vs. non-residents in surrounding areas.

Falls Church City found itself in a world of hurt by charging different rates to city residents
vs. county residents near the city they also supplied with services.

Million of dollars accumulated over many years.
From back when Falls Church was a town and not even a city yet.

They are busy paying it all back now.

red-hen-owner-runs-historic-downtown-and-they-just-threw-her-under-the-bus

"Please do not condemn our town for one persons actions."

Was she elected?
That takes more than "one person" last I checked.

While the Lynchburg race was close, the surrounding counties tell where this area really leans, lol
In this area there was about a four to one ratio of Trump signs to Clinton signs.

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Very true, but she is gone now.
wilkinson-steps-down-msl-director

Have you ever heard of a municipal director that was elected?

Lexington is so small a handful of people can make it seem more influenced than it really is.  A comparison I saw to it being liberal like Cville was .....not even close.

My feeling is this: this is the same as the bakery that refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple because of their religious beliefs. When that happened we were all “their business,their rules”. I still stand by that. And I feel the Red Hen has the right to do what they did. I believe every business has the right to refuse service to anyone they please. There may be a financial downside to that decision but they should still have the right to make that decision. The same goes for the “no guns” signs in the windows. Their business, their rules. We don’t raise hell about being discriminated by the no guns policy, we simply take our business elsewhere. If the Red Hen wants to implement that policy, I will support their right to do so. And I will go eat somewhere else. No fucks given.

I think a lot of us agree- I certainly do.  The crux of the issue is the left's hue and cry (and legal action) over the bakery issue, while then applauding this event- that hypocrisy with one set of rules and expectations for us and another set for them is the problem here.  And when folks say "Well, the bakery issue was settled in court and they were ok to do what they did", it only takes a reading of the SCOTUS opinion, and seeing the two dissenting votes, to know that really isn't the left's view on this.

And let's be honest- this was not just about refusing to serve an individual.  If it were, it would have ended at the Red Hen's doorstep.  But it did not, and the owner followed Sanders to another location and proceeded to harass her there and cause a scene.  THAT is legally actionable, and VERY different from simply refusing service at your private business on your own private property.  That is the left's hatred and intolerance and illogic on full display, if anyone cares to look at it.

This.

All of this.

I had not heard about that second instance.
But yeah, the dems applaud the Red Hen and hate the bakery. And many republicans are doing the same only in reverse. You can’t pick and choose which business is right and which is wrong.

red-hen-owner-followed-sarah-sanders-family-to-protest-their-presence-at-different-restaurant

Ha, I'm driving up to the place in the video near the end of the video clip.  I saw the film crew set up, but didn't realize they were actively filming.  It's a shame they didn't catch my bird in the window...

sarah-sanders-heckled-by-red-hen-owner-even-after-leaving

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5885663/Mike-Huckabee-says-liberal-Red-Hen-owners-harassed-daughter-more.html

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When will people get this idea CORRECT?  The bakery/cake thing is NOT a business decision, it IS a religious decision. The gay couple could chose ANY pre-made cake in the store, this is the business side of the equation. All public business should be done with NO restrictions to race, creed, sexual preference etc. When the gay couple DEMANDED the bakery make them a GAY WEDDING CAKE, that crossed into the religious belief side of the equation. They were NOW wanting someone to participate in THEIR religious or lack of religious ceremony. Thereby doing something totally against the bakery's religious cannon. This would be NO DIFFERENT than DEMANDING a Muslim deli/restaurant prepare and serve a pork dinner.
What "Chicken-Little" at the Red Hen did was truly a "SEGREGATING" business decision. She might as well have posted a sign "NO (BLACKs, JEWs, GAYs, CONSERVATIVEs, or whatever other group ALLOWED)" at the front door of a public business.
Discrimination (of ANY KIND) has NO PLACE in public business! But when business interacts with the religious ceremony, latitude MUST be given to allow the religious beliefs of ALL parties to be followed.

I disagree, I think the business owner should have the right to deny service to any person for any reason.

But, they have to live with the consequences.

That’s my point exactly

I get your angle and agree with regards to preference/choice issues.  However if you are a constitutionalist you are then in conflict with regards to race/gender.  The problem is we have never lived up fully to our Constitution or else we wouldn't have had segregation, prohibition, nationality quarantines and other means to descriminate/villianize.  Besides, in the ever contentous society what happens when a business excels by being unconstitutional, hateful and discrimatory?

FWIW, his main point many people inaccurately compare the baker to this bitch.

Of course you can.

I don’t care what happens with such a business. My principles aren’t dependent upon someone else’s successes or failures.

That's the same approach people took in the examples segregation, prohibition, nationality round ups/quarantine...etc.   History has a weird way of repeating itself when people that can't see beyond themselves.  To me upholding the Constitution means I support all that is entitled therein, whether it's my belief or not.....that's how you retain freedom, dude

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. ”

George Santayana, Life of Reason, Reason in Common Sense,

Scribner's, 1905, page 284

But then you should also support a person’s constitutional right to think and believe how they wish and if they don’t want to serve someone because of their political affiliations or because of their sexual preference then so be it. It’s a two way street.

I think the important lesson from this is that no matter what happens.....throwing chicken shit is never an appropriate response. (In case people didn’t know...someone did this)

http://www.thenews-gazette.com/content/bikers-and-others-trump-supporters-red-hen-gather-lexington

It appears that the owner, Stephanie Wilkinson lives at:

620 Stonewall St
Lexington, VA 24450

Phone Number: 540.319.1076

Her FB Page:  https://www.facebook.com/stephanie.wilkinson.73

E-Mail Addresses
[email protected]
[email protected]

https://www.facebook.com/duncan.richter

It appears that a faculty member of VMI by the name of Duncan Richter lives at the same address. CONFIRMED. Per Duncan Richter's Facebook Page, he is married to Stephanie Wilkinson.

Here is Duncan Richter's Listing on VMI's Website: https://www.vmi.edu/.../english.../faculty-and-staff/

Ms Wilkinson' is originally from Rochester, NY and has the following relatives who live in Rochester:

Cynthia H Wilkinson

3597 Elmwood Ave
Rochester, NY 14610

David P Wilkinson
28 Bremen St
Rochester, NY 14621
(540) 463-6640
(585) 381-2439

Leslie T Wilkinson
148 Northumberland Rd
Rochester, NY 14618
(585) 271-5489
(585) 381-2439

Amy E Wilkinson Sheridan
11 Barrack Hill Rd
Rutland, MA 01543
Phone:
(508) 886-2869
Email:
[email protected]

Perhaps our side should start showing up where these Commies live and work to protest and exercise our 1st Amendment Rights to express our thoughts and feelings.

So, I'm traveling on a remote road, almost out of gas (lets say 30 miles of gas left in the tank), and come to a gas station.  The only gas station for 80 miles around.  I have a Trump or whomever sticker on my car.  Clerk sees the sticker and won't sell me gas.  Now what....

They have to deal with the consequences of you beating the shit out of them with your tire iron, filling your tank full of gas and taking their women.

Plan better.

thinking he may not want their women,,   going by pics of the typical liberal protester who would?

They are claiming to be fully booked on Thursday...

But they have to enter from the back patio.

Tell the clerk, "you should have seen that guy's face when I jacked his car. It was as red as his MAGA hat!"

Sounds like a way to conceal how many will actually be there as much as anything else.

Will the windows be blocked from inside or will you be able to at least see the crown in there?

I've been denied restaurant service b/c I looked white (on a reservation/despite common accestory) and I have a gay sister.......I would argue that who you love and what tribe you affiliate with are not my businesses..... I'd still like to be treated with some basic dignity.   Putting your political desires above humanity is a shame.  I'd like to think we are better than that.  Are we?

Seems like an easy job, if you don't go out of your way to be a hypocrite and an asshole.

Executive Director of Main Street Lexington Position Advertisement