After the Red Hen restaurant in Lexington, Virginia, gave Sarah Sanders and her family the boot because of her association with Donald Trump, backlash from conservatives was imminent.
Trump supporters seethed over the small business refusing service to a patron based on political views and threatened the Red Hen.
Unfortunately, some of the riled rabble lashed out at the wrong restaurant.
An eatery in Washington, D.C., sharing the same appellation but unaffiliated with the Red Hen in Virginia, was subject to social media backlash, including death threats, over the White House Press secretary being shown the door from the Lexington establishment.
The D.C. restaurant set things straight after being bombarded by over a thousand threatening emails.
Good morning! @PressSec went to the unaffiliated @RedHenLex last night, not to our DC-based restaurant.β The Red Hen (@The Red Hen)1529763912.0
@HGBarJac @laverdad80 @PressSec @RedHenLex https://t.co/AK7weW78QPβ The Red Hen (@The Red Hen)1529846210.0
Donald Trump contributed to the fiasco when he railed into the Red Hen without specifying which one.
The Red Hen Restaurant should focus more on cleaning its filthy canopies, doors and windows (badly needs a paint joβ¦ https://t.co/CObp1kkDlkβ Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump)1529926885.0
@realDonaldTrump Looks clean to me https://t.co/oPM3s4lWTkβ Melanie Adele (@Melanie Adele)1529972999.0
@realDonaldTrump Bro, Mar-a-lago, had 15 health code violations the Red Hen has none. https://t.co/ylkOciBBPVβ : Brendan O'Malley : (@: Brendan O'Malley :)1529938647.0
The D.C. Red Hen also let customers know they can't refuse service to anyone based on politics since they are a federal district.
Mike Friedman, the chef and co-owner of the D.C. Red Hen clarified, "We serve everybody. Everybody is a guest. We treat everybody with the same respect."
@laverdad80 @PressSec @RedHenLex Businesses in DC are prohibited from discriminating against people for political aβ¦ https://t.co/eGJ4a8XfYnβ The Red Hen (@The Red Hen)1529800360.0
There was still some confusion over the facts.
@RedHenDC @MazinAlEshaiker @PressSec @RedHenLex Unfortunately ... the franchise owner must be tolerating this somehβ¦ https://t.co/diMKPqcaGTβ Lisa ππΌπΊπΈππβοΈβπΌπΆπ βοΈβ€οΈπΆπ·βοΈ (@Lisa ππΌπΊπΈππβοΈβπΌπΆπ βοΈβ€οΈπΆπ·βοΈ)1529862170.0
The D.C. restaurant was forced to spell things out.
@LisaSMN_CO @MazinAlEshaiker @PressSec @RedHenLex https://t.co/x1kd0iHWx6β The Red Hen (@The Red Hen)1529862287.0
Some empathized over the mistaken restaurant.
@RedHenDC @LisaSMN_CO @MazinAlEshaiker @PressSec @RedHenLex So sorry you all are having to deal with this name mix-β¦ https://t.co/7iR5dvbBpMβ Wes Ulm (@Wes Ulm)1529960322.0
This is hardly the first time Trump supporters responded to opposition so recklessly.
@RedHenDC @LisaSMN_CO @MazinAlEshaiker @PressSec @RedHenLex It does not matter. Trump supporters began attacking thβ¦ https://t.co/gsCKw9KRZxβ Alexander Knight π¨π¦ (@Alexander Knight π¨π¦)1529885817.0
@RedHenDC @HGBarJac @laverdad80 @PressSec @RedHenLex This is very good internet.β Jared β (@Jared β)1529934610.0
Friedman told WTOP that his Red Hen is one that represents inclusion and leaves politics at the door.
"We didn't actually do anything wrong," he said. "We just happen to have a fascinating case of mistaken identity."
And he plans to keep the name of the eatery intact. In spite of the misdirected threats, the chef is keeping things light. He commented on the establishment getting egged, "which is, um, ironic β 'cause The Hen got egged."
It looks like the yolk is on the conservatives.
H/T - YouTube, Twitter, Washingtonian